


Broken Halo

by IShipAllTheSpaceGays



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Parents, Abusive Relationships, Alpha Lotor (Voltron), Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anxiety, Arranged Marriage, Depression, Domestic Violence, Fluff, Forced Bonding, Forced Marriage, Forced Pregnancy, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I had to retype all of this like 3 times and I'm going to cry, Keith isn't in this much, Lance (Voltron) is a Ray of Sunshine, Lance and Shiro are in Love, Lance deserves none of this torture, Lance is an amazing papa, Lance is very damaged, Lotor is actually insane, M/M, Miscarriage, Mpreg, Omega Lance (Voltron), Past Miscarriages, Post Mpreg, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Shiro is a school teacher, Suicidal Thoughts, lotor is evil, protect him, sorry - Freeform, the title sucks ik
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 18:49:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 124,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17065178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IShipAllTheSpaceGays/pseuds/IShipAllTheSpaceGays
Summary: Lance had no idea that as soon as he presented his secondary gender, he'd be sold off to the highest bidder.It has been years since Lance McClain was forced to marry and mate with a very wealthy and well-known alpha, Lotor Diabazaal, and every day seems to get worse for him. The only thing keeping him alive and sane is his two precious children. Lately however, Lance can't help but wonder how much longer he'll be able to survive the endless hell that is his life. He wakes up every morning wondering if this day will be his last.(Or: Lance is drowning in a severely abusive marriage while trying his hardest to protect his young children. Shiro is a grade school teacher who had recently become increasingly concerned for the omega parent of his two best students.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1: This story touches on a lot of triggering content. Please take heed of the tags and archive warnings, and read with caution.
> 
> 2: This story is just a loosely edited version of a Literate roleplay that was created well before seasons 7 and 8 of Voltron: Legendary Defender was released. The point of view of the character changes often because of it.

It was very early in the morning and Lance still had about 30 minutes before he had to wake up the kids. He had managed to take a shower without waking either of the children, nor Lotor. He immediately got to work on breakfast after that, making some toast and eggs for everyone. He was quite exhausted, his body ached a bit, and he was very hungry as well, but he didn't acknowledge those problems as his priority was his children. He would need to go shopping sometime soon, there weren't enough eggs for all four of them. He didn't mind skipping the meal, he often did anyway. He glanced at the clock, making a mental note that he needed to wake the kids in a bit, it was almost time for school.

Lotor's eyes snapped awake, as though he could feel the absence in the bed next to him. He searched the room for signs of his mate to see that he was nowhere to be found, making his eyes narrow a bit. As soon as he got up and left the room, however, he smelt the aroma of food cooking, and his lips curled up in a smirk. Good; he was cooking already. However, that didn't excuse his other crime. Lotor made his way down to the kitchen area, where he spotted him standing in the kitchen, looking like he was going through what supplies they needed. "So tell me," Lotor wasted no time in getting to his point, not one to bounce around the subject in the morning. "What was it that made you decide to shower /without/ me?"

Lance jumped when he heard Lotor's voice. He turned around quickly with wide eyes. "O-Oh, Lotor..good morning, darling." he forced a shaky smile, trying to avoid the subject of the shower. He knew he was in trouble for doing such a thing, he should have thought of that before. _God I'm such an idiot._ he thought to himself. "U-Um...I'm so sorry about that, I just...you were so peaceful sleeping there and I didn't want to disturb you!" He seemed to shrink into himself a little, taking a step back. "U-Um, anyway...breakfast is almost ready."

Lotor's eyes narrowed at his dodgy attempts at avoiding the question. Again, in the mornings, Lotor was not interested in dancing around subjects. He made his way into the kitchen, snaking a hand around Lance's waist as he watched him cook. "Mmm, is that so. Oh, I see." He moved his face into the nook of Lance's neck, kissing the soft skin. Lotor had no idea how Lance's neck skin was still so soft after him biting it so much, but it was one of the reasons he loved his mate so much. "You knew that if we showered together, you would just beg me to take you in the shower, and you didn't want to wake the kids up with your slutty screaming, is that right? You're such a good mother, Lance..." He took a deep inhale of Lance's neck, hand still around his waist possessively.

Tears burned his eyes as Lotor touched and spoke to him like that and Lance bit his lip to keep them from falling. "Thank you." He whispered, his voice shaking a bit. He tried to keep his focus on the food before he made anything worse. He glanced at the clock again, he needed to wake the kids now. "Lotor.." he said softly, scared to speak any louder. "Lotor, I need to wake the kids...I-I need to get them ready for school."

Lotor let out a low growl, hand tightening around Lance's waist. "Look at that. You're using the kid's as an excuse again." He scoffed. "And to think I just called you a good mother." He began trailing his kisses down Lance's neck more, getting rougher and incorporating some teeth into his mouth movements. "You're just trying to run away because you know you've been bad. You're just trying to hide behind the kids, as usual." Lotor's nails were digging into Lance's waist. "If the kids are going to come between our relationship...that's unacceptable. You understand, don't you?"

Lance let out a quiet whimper, squeezing his eyes shut and nodding. "Yes..." he said quietly. He didn't know what he should do now, the kids were going to be late for school at this rate. He knew he shouldn't have let them sleep a bit longer. He was foolish for not sending them out of the house earlier. "Please, Lotor...if they're late for school, it will r-raise suspicion a-and you don't want that...please..it won't take long, their bus will be here in fifteen minutes.." he pleaded quietly, not daring to move away. He knew better than that.

Lotor hummed a bit, considering the options. Then, he bit down into Lance's neck hard and possessively, teeth easily sinking into the flesh of his omega, entertaining himself with observing his mate try not to be too loud for the sake of the kids. He let his teeth sink in for a while before pulling his head away, licking his lips at the noticeable mark left on Lance. "That's for being such a bad mother. For trying to use your own children as an excuse to hide behind. You can be better than this, sweetie....I know you can. I'm just trying to help you be a better mom. You know I'm just looking out for you." He kissed his mate's cheek before retreating his arm from around his waist. "Go do your thing. Prove to me you're a good mother, baby." He groped Lance's ass before walking to the table to sit.

Lance had to cover his mouth to keep from screaming when Lotor bit him. He wasn't prepared for the pain and it shocked him. The tears in his eyes fell and he dropped the spatula he had been holding from making breakfast. When Lotor let go of him, he wanted so badly to just collapse and cry, but he knew that he couldn't. He nodded silently, acknowledging Lotor's orders. He quickly wiped away his tears and the rest of the blood on his neck before making his way into the kids' bedroom.

The room was small, two small beds in opposite corners. As usual, however, Lance found his two beautiful babies cuddled up together in one bed. Lance gave a sad smile as he walked over and sat himself next to the bed, gently brushing some hair out of his son's face. He felt awful for this, his children always shared a bed, and where it was adorable and comforting to know that they got along, Lance knew that it was because they were afraid to sleep alone. They slept with Lance during the rare occasions Lotor wasn't at home. He took a deep breath, composing himself before leaning over to give both children soft kisses to wake them. "Good morning my angels." he said softly, "It's time to wake up."

Luna slowly blinked awake, the warm sensations of lips on her head the first thing she felt. It was a familiar feeling; one that could only be from her dad. She turned in the bed a bit, making sure her hair didn't bother her brother to look up at her dad's smiling face, and she yawned sleepily. "...morning..." she mumbled, still needing to wake up more. Her hands rubbed at her eyes as she stretched, still trying not to touch or wake her brother. "What time is it? Has Riley got more time to sleep? I don't think he slept very well last night."

Lance looked at his son sadly, then back to Luna, sighing. "It's 6:45. What time did you two go to sleep last night, baby?" He asked with a worried tone. He knew that he didn't get much sleep last night, but he tried so hard to be quiet. He felt terrible for possibly keeping his children awake. The attention in the room shifted to Riley as he yawned and stretched, his pretty violet eyes fluttering open sleepily. "Good morning, papa.." he said quietly, reaching out for Lance, who happily leaned forward and allowed his son to cuddle up to him. "Good morning, darling." Lance smiled, kissing his son's forehead.

Luna stretched a little more before slowly sitting up. "Mmm...it's late..." She rubbed her eyes more before scooting closer, also wanting a hug. "It's okay, papa, we didn't sleep too late." She made sure not to mention specific times though, keeping it vague as she relished in the warmth of his arms after leaving the warmth of the blankets. "We should get ready though..."

Lotor impatiently went ahead and ate without Lance or the two children, not having the time to wait around for them; not like he wanted to, anyways. He had other things to be attending to. However, in order to spite Lance some more and make sure his mate understood he shouldn't be stepping out of line if he wanted his children to stay healthy, Lotor left minimal amounts of the breakfast behind for them.

Lance nodded and pulled away from the hug, but not before giving his babies one more little squeeze and a kiss on the forehead for each of them. "Okay, I have breakfast ready. You two get dressed and brush your teeth, and I'll go make your lunches, okay? Be downstairs in 5 minutes so you have time to eat." Riley nodded quietly and stood from the bed. Before Lance left the room, he made sure to turn the light on so the kids could see better. "Five minutes, okay?" He reminded them. Luna nodded, standing up next to Riley and watching her dad leave before going into their closet and shuffling through her side and quickly grabbing some clothes. "It's late, Riley..." She repeated what she said earlier, clearly still tired as she headed to the bathroom, determined to finish up getting ready on time so that they could go downstairs and have breakfast.

Riley yawned and copied his sister, getting some clothes out of his side of the closet. He followed Luna into the bathroom with the intention to brush his hair and teeth like Lance had asked him to.

Lotor was just preparing himself to leave for the day for work, putting his shoes on. He looked up as he heard Lance coming down, a smirk spreading on his face. "Pup, come kiss me goodbye like a good little omega."

Lance's stomach twisted in slight fear and dread as he forced a smile and walked the rest of the way down the stairs, making his way to his mate. He did as he was told, pressing his lips to Lotor's in a quick kiss. He ended it just as fast as he initiated it, wanting to get his lips off of Lotor's as soon as possible. He knew that it was likely a mistake, but he felt ill and he just wanted to be away from his mate for a bit. Lotor's eyes narrowed at his mate's dodgy behavior and considered disciplining him in front of the kids, but decided he had to be off. Time really was the only reason Lance wasn't more injured than he was.

"Have the house cleaned for my return, sweet omega. I want a spotless den." The house wasn't particularly dirty, but he wanted to keep his omega busy. "It'll make it easier on you as you wait for me to come home." His fingers danced across Lance's cheek, stroking it lightly before he chuckled and left the house. He didn't need to remind his mate of the consequences if he failed to do as asked. Lotor was the only one providing him with the money to take care of the children, after all. And he knew angering Lotor meant more than his own harm...it would mean their's, as well.

Lance took a deep breath before turning back to the kitchen and beginning to make lunches for Luna and Riley. Soon, he had the two packed up and ready for school. He walked them to the bus stop like he always did, holding each of their hands as he walked them down the sidewalk. "You both finished your homework, right?" He confirmed, looking down at Luna in particular with a small smile and a raised eyebrow. He knew that she sometimes didn't do her work, and he liked to tease her about it. "I did, papa!" Riley said happily, jumping up as he spoke. She rubbed her arm nervously. "Y-yeah, I did. Of course!" She assured, although she knew she had been a bit distracted last night and hadn't.

She was very nervous, because their teacher had said he might have to intervene in her grades and call up her parents if she failed any more assignments, so she definitely felt guilty about this. She just hoped she could play it off or something as she waved at her dad and walked to the bus with Riley. She didn't always understand things at home, but she knew things were hard for her papa and she didn't want him to have to work harder. Lance kissed both of his children goodbye before watching them get onto the bus.

He sighed as he watched the bus leave, unconsciously moving his hand toward the new bite mark on his neck. He flinched when he touched it, biting his lip. He had gone pretty deep this time..it would take longer to heal, maybe a couple of days, and it would definitely bruise in the process. He made his way back home quietly, stepping into an empty house. He didn't let himself stray from the task at hand, he had to start cleaning if he wanted the house to be spotless by the time Lotor returned home. Lance cleaned all day, never once taking a break; but that was okay with him, he was used to it.

By the time he had finished, he was exhausted. He stared at the couch for a few seconds, wishing he could curl up there in a little nest and take a nap. But of course he couldn't, it was time to pick up the kids after all. He was excited to see his babies, he always missed them when they were gone. He sat patiently at the bus stop, waiting for them to arrive. He wore the same scarf he did this morning, even though it was quite warm outside. He needed to cover the bite mark just in case.

×××

Luna could already feel immense dread sitting in the pit of her stomach, hands clasped together in her lap as she sat next to Riley. She was in such big trouble...she was so mad at herself for letting this happen, but it had, and now her teacher told her he wanted to speak to her parents about her grades. He hadn't been mean and hadn't even scolded her about it or anything, but she didn't know how she was gonna break the news as the bus dropped them off. She stayed behind Riley a bit, which she knew was uncharacteristic for her, and followed him to where their dad was, letting her quieter brother do the greeting.

Riley was tired from his long day at school and he wanted to cuddle up with his father and sister and watch a movie or something. When he got off of the bus, he was excited to see Lance waiting for them. "Hi, papa." He said happily. Lance smiled and picked up his son, kissing his cheek and giving him a hug before putting him down.

"Hello my darlings, I missed you so much! How was your day?" He asked while giving Luna a hug and a kiss like he had done for her brother. Luna smiled at his hug and kiss, desperately needing it after the news she had just gotten. She stepped back again and let out a deep sigh, not wanting to tell her papa just yet.

"It was good!" That wasn't exactly a lie, since her day had been good until she learned that her teacher wanted to have a chat with her parents. Parents...as in plural...that meant... She suddenly figured maybe she should tell as soon as possible as they started their walk home while talking, each of them holding one of his hands on either side. She took deep breaths, trying not to feel too guilty. "Papa...I have something to tell you." She started slowly.

Lance slowed his pace a little and shifted his attention to his daughter. He looked down at her with a worried expression. "What's wrong, sweetheart? Is everything okay?" She held her breath, suddenly stopping in her tracks and wondering if she wanted to tell him since her heart was beating fast. She didn't get in trouble with her papa ever and she never wanted to, but she was scared this would get her in trouble.

"Um...papa...my teacher, he said..." She gulped, suddenly deciding to move closer until she was hugging his leg for comfort and biting her lower lip nervously. "He...wants to see you...and my other parent...that's what he said. That he wants to talk to you." She didn't meet her papa's gaze, gripping onto his pants tighter. Lance had stopped too, and so did Riley.

Lance frowned at his daughter's words, "What?" He asked, gently prying her off of his leg and kneeling down to look at her properly. "Did he tell you why? What happened?" He wasn't angry, he was almost never angry at his children, but he was just confused. He didn't understand why this teacher would want to schedule a meeting with him, did Luna do something wrong? Luna looked away, ashamed of the reason. That was why she had left it out, but of course she couldn't just hide it until he went. Her hair fell over her face a bit since she was looking at the floor, hands now only just clutching at each other in front of her.

"Um...he said...it's because of my grades..." She whispered the last word, as if it would make it better. She hoped her papa wouldn't yell at her, and she didn't think he would...but there was always that chance.

"Oh, Luna..." Lance sighed and moved a piece of Luna's hair behind her ear. "Are they really that bad, honey? Have you just been having a hard time keeping up? Or understanding? What's going on, Hm?" He wasn't angry, just worried. He didn't want his daughter to be failing, of course no parent wanted that. He wanted his daughter to be successful and happy. He worried that she might need some extra help in school, and he knew that wouldn't go over well with Lotor..

She fiddled with her thumbs, looking down. "I...I don't know...I'm sorry papa..." She ran into his arms, feeling more ashamed now that she was admitting it. She knew a part of it was not understanding everything at home...but still. "...are you mad?" She just needed confirmation, even if he didn't sound mad. She didn't want to mess things up for him. Lance hugged his daughter, shaking his head.

"No, no of course not, baby. I'm just worried about you. This is okay, it's alright-"

"I can help, sis!" Riley exclaimed, hugging his sister. "I can help with your homework if you want me to!"

"Yeah, see? We'll figure this out together, okay?" Lance kissed her forehead and pulled away, giving her a little smile. Luna looked up at him with a hopeful smile, having not wanted to bother her brother or her papa with any of her problems. That was why she never asked Riley for help earlier. But...if he was saying it was alright...

"Okay." She sniffled a bit, snuggling into her dad more. "Okay...I'm sorry." She still trembled a little, but felt better since she wasn't yelled at. "It's okay, honey, it's not your fault." He gave her one more kiss on the cheek before standing up and taking her hand again. Riley decided to take one of her hands instead of Lance's. He wanted to comfort his sister too. On their way home, Lance asked the two of them question after question about their day, smiling big as he listened to them talk. He loved them so very much, and he absolutely adored when they were so excited about small things. Luna giggles at their conversations as they walked home together, squeezing her family's hands tightly with joy. She was feeling better already; maybe it wouldn't be so bad when her father went to visit her teacher tomorrow after class. That was when a thought crossed her head, and she blurted it out before she could think.

"We have to tell Sir about this, too, don't we?" Lance's breath hitched at these words, his smile fading. He was quiet for a long time as they walked. He thought about this. If he did tell Lotor about this, there was a high risk of him getting angry at Luna, maybe even hitting her. If he didn't tell him, he would be the one to get in trouble and he would most likely take the beating.

He almost immediately decided that the second choice was the best, so he looked down at Luna with a smile. "Don't worry about that, angel. I'll take care of that. Just don't say anything about it around him, okay?" She smiled wide, happy that she didn't have to say anything. "Mmhmm! I can do that!" She assured, adding a little bounce in her step now that she felt safer. They made it back to the house, and her eyes sparkled upon looking around.

"Papa...it's really clean!" She ran in ahead a bit, setting her empty lunch box down on the counter. Lance laughed from where he was kneeling down, helping Riley get the zipper on his coat unstuck.

"Yes, please try not to make a mess, okay? I worked very hard today." He called as he watched her run off. He rolled his eyes with a smile, finally getting the zipper unstuck and pulling the coat off of Riley. "There you go little man." He teased, kissing his son's forehead. Riley giggled and ran after his sister. "Hey, you two do your homework!" Lance called out as he walked into the kitchen. He decided he should start working on dinner, Lotor would be home soon.

Luna plopped down in their room, looking through her backpack to do as her dad said. She was actually a little excited to see how Riley did it, since she didn't know how to do her homework. If she did better, then she could impress her teacher and her dad!

Riley was very excited to help his sister with the homework they had tonight. He wasn't aware that she had been struggling before, and he felt so special knowing that he could actually provide the help she needed. He sat at the little table in their bedroom and dug through his backpack to find his folder. "We have spelling homework tonight, Luna!" He squealed, spelling was his favorite!

×××

Lotor grit his teeth as he drove one-handed, on his way back to his house an hour earlier than usual due to circumstances. Well, on the bright side, that meant more time spent with his /lovely/ family. He had big plans for his mate tonight, after all...he figured it was about that time again. The thought was making him excited already.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter has graphic depictions of rape. This chapter is a look further into just how bad Lance's life really is. 
> 
> Shiro is introduced in the next chapter, which will be updated either later tonight or tomorrow.
> 
> Again, please read with caution.

Lance was happily humming to himself as he moved gracefully around the kitchen, picking up wherever ingredients he needed, he was making lasagna tonight. He figured that it was a good choice, seeing that he expected Lotor home in about an hour and a half, and the meal took about an hour to cook. He thought that maybe if he impressed Lotor with both a spotless house /and/ fresh, hot dinner, he might allow Lance to sleep a bit tonight, but unfortunately, he was very wrong.

 

Lotor cracked his fists a little as he walked up to the front door, wondering what his sweet was up to. Probably off babying their two troglobites. /Their/. Yes. Their. And Lotor would not stop until there was another. He let himself in with the key, noting that all of their shoes were in. As master of the house, it was his job to identify who was and wasn't in his house at all times. He could smell the beginnings of something in the kitchen and smirked to himself. Bingo. "I've arrived home early, my sweet, little omega." Lotor called, not bothering to remove his shoes as he lay his eyes on Lance moving around the kitchen.

 

Lance immediately stopped humming, freezing like a deer in the headlights. "O-Oh, Lotor! Darling, w-what are you doing here so early? I wasn't expecting you until five...i-it's only thee thirty?" He asked, confused and scared. He hid his real feelings with a small smile, as if he were happy to see this terrible man.

 

Lotor made his way into the kitchen, swaying up to Lance and not hesitating to rub his lips against his earlobe seductively. "I came back for you, sweet omega. I could not bare the thought of being away from you. Perhaps the more time we spend together..." His hands roamed down to wrap around Lance's stomach. "...the more chances that it'll work, next time. I may be a businessman, but I am also an Alpha with a duty to his cute, little omega mate. Do not worry, I won't neglect you," He breathed up Lance's neck, teeth grazing the skin. "I will give you more to bear. It is your punishment for failing to bring me any new life in a very long while."

 

Lance's eyes widened and he let out a shuddering breath, an unpleasant shiver attacking his spine. He shook his head weakly, "N-No...Lotor, please...I-I can't go through this again.." he begged in a low whisper, his eyes burning at the memories. The terrible memories that plagued his mind every chance they could get began to attack his mind. The images and the pain, the tears and desperation. He recalled every single painstaking time Lotor forced a pregnancy on him, torturing him with it, putting him through so much pain only to destroy the baby and blame it on Lance himself. A tear slipped from his eye as he remembered his latest heartbreak. His baby was going to be so strong, so amazing, he had a name and everything. He thought this time would have been different, but he was so naive. No, he couldn't go through that again. "Please.." he begged.

 

Lotor growled threateningly. "It's so easy being an omega like you, where do you go learning things like talking back? I provide you with everything you need, and in return, all I ask is that you provide me with what I desire most." His hands were applying pressure to Lance's stomach now, suggesting that something would be in there soon enough. "It's so /easy/. You always like to flaunt off like you're a good mother, but how many of your own fucking /children/ have you killed inside of your own body by now? The rules have always been simple. I give you more children to bear, and so long as you behave and don't mess up a single time during the pregnancy months, I don't hurt the child. But /every/ fucking time, you mess up, and you cost your own child's life. What kind of mother are you? I wonder if you'll kill the one I'm going to give you tonight, too."

 

Lance didn't speak, he couldn't. He couldn't stop the tears overflowing in his dull blue eyes. He bit his lip to keep from letting out any noises. His body trembled with terrible fear and guilt. The worst thing about this whole thing was, that he believed Lotor. He agreed with him. How terrible of a mother he was, for letting his babies die. He blamed himself for every single one of them. He covered his mouth with his hand just in time to catch one if his broken sobs. He didn't want the children to hear him crying. His beautiful babies, he loved them so so very much, and he never wanted them to suffer, not even the ones that he thought he killed. Lance felt so weak during those moments, every minute seemed to drag on. Finally he was able to pull himself together as the timer on the oven beeped, telling him that dinner was done. "I...I have to get it out of the oven.." he whispered, voice almost inaudible.

 

Lotor purred, kissing at Lance's tears and trailing them back up to the corners of his eyes, relishing in the bitter taste. One hand rubbed Lance's stomach with considerable pressure while the other stroked his thigh, making sure Lance understood what was coming for him. "Very well. You must eat; surely you know food provides your body the strength for your children. You are going to have another child inside of you soon no matter what, so I suggest you start taking every precautionary measure possible if you want the child to make it out alive; just like those two did." He glanced upstairs for a split second before pulling away to leave Lance to attend to the oven, fingers trailing across his stomach teasingly as he did so.

 

Lance trembled violently as he opened the oven, stepping away to avoid the wave of heat before reaching in with an oven mitt, sliding the glass pan full of lasagna out of the oven and setting it on the table. He was completely silent as he walked around the kitchen, getting plates, cups and silverware for all four of them. Once the table was set, the lasagna had cooled enough for him to cut and serve onto the plates, pouring the kids' drinks before looking toward Lotor, "What.." he cleared his throat when his voice came out silent. "What would you like to drink, dear?" He asked softly, not wanting to anger him any more than he already had.

 

Lotor sat down at the front of the table, one leg propped up on his knee as he looked Lance up and down, taking a moment to just imagine the things he would do to him in just a few hours. "Tonight is a special occasion, remember? Bring the champagne." He ordered, not minding drinking in front of two 7 year olds. "Be quick about it, sweet little omega. I will greatly indulge in these times where you are still small and able to move quickly." At this point, he was using every chance he had to remind and drill into his mate that he would be round with Lotor's next child soon. He wondered if the oaf would be able to keep his child alive or not this time around.

 

Lance nodded, hurrying into the garage where they kept the alcohol. He kept it on a shelf more toward the corner of the garage so it was kept well-away from the children. He grabbed a bottle of Lotor's favorite Champaign, careful not to drop it. God, if he dropped it he would definitely be in for hell. He was back in the kitchen quickly, shakily pouring the drink into Lotor's glass. When he was finished, he set the bottle down near where he was sitting, silently hoping to get away with managing Lotor's alcohol content tonight. He already knew what he was in for, but if Lotor was drunk, it would be much worse. "Kids!" he called, his voice still a bit weak, but loud enough. "Come down here, angels! Dinner is ready!"

 

Luna's ears twitched about upon hearing her dad call for them, and she set the pencil down with a smile. "Coming papa!" She and Riley quickly ran down out of their room, freezing moment when they saw him. "...good evening, Sir." She politely made her way to her designated seat, briefly eyeing the alcohol before looking away.   
  
Lotor grinned, arm moving forward to scratch beneath both of his children's chins. They were, after all, half of his DNA. "Good evening, children. I trust school is going well for you?" For some reason, he thought he saw his daughter glance at Lance before answering. "Y-yes, Sir." His eyes moved to his son. "And for you?"

  
Riley looked afraid, as he often did around Lotor. He grabbed hold of his sister's shirt, standing close behind her. He nodded without a word. Riley rarely spoke to Lotor, it was out of pure fear of socializing that Riley didn't speak to many people, but Lotor, he was a different story. Riley wasn't a stupid kid, he knew that Lotor hurt his papa. He knew that he hurt Luna and even Riley himself sometimes. He was terrified of the man, and rightfully so.    
  
Lance gave his children a reassuring smile, even if it was fake. "Come on, loves, come sit before your food gets cold." He encouraged softly, pulling the chairs out for them. Riley just clung to his sister, well technically he just held onto her shirt, but either way he was holding onto her.

 

Luna did her best to steady her breathing as she slow moved to her chair and sat down, also wanting to stay close to her brother even though she was trying to look not as intimidated. She tried to just focus on eating, and gave her brother a look, hoping he understood that the faster they ate, the sooner they could run up to their room.   
  
Lotor smiled at his children in amusement. What conniving little brats; they /definitely/ had his DNA, there was no doubting that. "Yes, let us eat." He echoed, wasting no time in starting them off by eating. "My sweet omega is a wonderful cook for me, as always. Only the best for me, isn't that right?" He asked, having no qualms with calling him his 'sweet omega' in front of their kids.

 

Lance nodded, giving him a forced smile. "Of course, dear." He agreed. He stared down at his plate, there was one piece of lasagna there, and a bit of salad that he had served to himself. He was positively sick to his stomach by this time, however, and he ended up just staring down at his plate without even making a move to pick up his fork.    
  
Riley noticed something was wrong, but he didn't comment. He didn't even want to speak in front of Lotor, even if it wasn't directed at him. He ate quickly, anticipating the moment he could go back upstairs and get ready for bed.

 

Most of their dinner was like that; silent with Lotor making a remark every now and then that made Luna uncomfortable. She was the first to finish, but she waited patiently for Riley to also finish, refusing to go back up to their room unless he was there.    
  
Lotor grinned, realizing his children were just trying to escape. He also realized Lance wasn't eating; but that wasn't his problem. While it would be in his best interest to have another child who wasn't a twin, he didn't mind playing this game with his mate. He knew the omega would kill his own babies every single time, in the end, anyways.

 

After both of the kids finished, Lance stood up, taking their plates to the sink, starting to wash them. "Go get ready for bed, my darlings. I'll be up to tuck you in in a few minutes." He said as he scrubbed the plates.    
  
Riley nodded, waiting for his sister to stand and walk around the table. He grabbed her hand as soon as she got close enough, and the two made their way upstairs. Lance busied himself with the dishes, secretly taking as long as he possibly could with it to postpone whatever Lotor has planned for him tonight.

 

Lotor stayed where he was and watched Lance for a while, staring at his ass from behind as his mate washed the dishes. His tongue darted out over his lips before he got up, walking over to him and cupping his ass in his hand. "I'll be waiting for you in my room, little omega. Alright?" His hand squeezed a bit as he blew on Lance's neck before leaving to go upstairs.    
  
Luna sighed as she plopped down in their room with Riley, still sweating a bit from the uncomfortableness of their dinner. Lotor suddenly poked his head in, making her gasp in surprise. "Good night, children. I hope you sleep well." He chuckled before leaving their room, and Luna tightened her grip on Riley's hand.

 

Lance felt sick. Every movement was a task, his arms heavy. He finished the dishes sooner than he would have liked, and made his way upstairs slowly. His hands gave away the fear in his eyes as they shook quite noticeably. He stepped into the children's room and put on a small smile when he saw his two little angels. "Have you both brushed your teeth? Gotten ready for bed like I asked?" Riley nodded and smiled at his father from where he was sitting on Luna's bed. "Can you read us a story, papa?"

 

Luna looked over at her brother before nodding eagerly, wanting something so that she didn't feel as anxious as she did right now. She was glad she got to sleep with her brother. "Yeah! A story! Can you?" She asked. She knew it would help Riley feel better, too. Sir didn't always interact with them, even during dinnertime, and she still felt a bit spooked at having him drop by to say goodnight. She wrapped up in their blanket a bit, hugging herself and looking at her papa expectantly.

 

Lance smiled softly, he couldn't say no to them. He knew that Lotor would most likely be angry, but it was worth it to him. His children were his first priority, and Lotor could wait a couple extra minutes. Lance picked up one of the books on the shelf and happily sat down on the bed, back against the wall. Riley eagerly cuddled up on one side of his father, wrapped in his own blanket that he had retrieved from his bed. Lance waited a few seconds for the kids to get comfortable before beginning to read. "Once upon a time..." he went on, smiling to himself as he felt Riley leaning a little heavier on him already. He knew that his son would be asleep very soon. He knew that he was taking longer than Lotor would like, and he just hoped he didn't come into the room. He deserved a bit of quality time with his babies before his night of hell.

 

Luna clapped gleefully when he agreed to read to them and snuggled close. He had picked one of her favorite stories. As he read it out loud, she felt drowsiness already taking over her. It had, after all, been a very tiring day for her. She had had to go through that stuff about the conference and Sir, and she was ready to fall asleep. Tomorrow her papa would talk to her teacher, but now, she was confident it would go alright as she shut her eyes and just imagined the story in her sleep.    
  
Lotor's eyes narrowed as he sat in bed, fist clenched in impatient frustration.

 

Lance decided to finish the book even though both of his children were already sleeping. He liked to think that they were still listening. Once the book was finished, he set it aside and took a deep breath. Both Riley and Luna were sleeping, leaning on him heavily. It hurt his heart to move them, but it was time to accept his fate. He moved slowly, trying his best to support both children so they didn't slump to the bed uncomfortably. He tucked them both in together, humming quietly to keep them asleep. He made sure they were warm enough before leaning over the two of them and kissing their foreheads. He put the book on the shelf and hesitated for a second before walking toward the door. He shut the light off so that only the nightlight was illuminating his two pups. "Goodnight, my babies. Please sleep well." He said quietly, shutting the door tightly in hopes it would help. He was so afraid of keeping them awake. He walked slowly across the hall and into the bedroom he shared with his husband. He didn't look up as he entered, just stood hesitantly in the doorway with his eyes downcast. He was shaking again.

 

Lotor narrowed his eyes when his mate finally entered the room, gesturing with his finger for him to come forward. He knew the omega understood without even looking up at him, and he waited for him to walk forward until he was in front of Lotor. "Strip." Lotor ordered, eyeing his body up and down. He spoke while Lance did as he asked. "So I suppose it took you a good 10 minutes to deal with the kids, hm? They must've given you a hard time. Perhaps you should stay in the bedroom from now on, and I can handle the kids."

 

Lance's eyes widened and he looked up quickly, "N-No!" he said quite loudly, quickly composing himself and clearing his throat. "N-No...they were no trouble at all. I only took a long time because they asked that I read them a book before they went to sleep. I apologize." He said quietly, looking back down at the floor. He was undressed by now, and he felt disgusting already. He wrapped his arms around his bruised body as if trying to protect himself from what was going to happen very soon.

 

Lotor's eyes narrowed more. "They ask that you read them a book, hm." He stood up, walking in circles around Lance like a predator circling its prey, preparing to swoop in and devour it. "Sounds troublesome to me that they're getting in between our special time together. They don't understand how much you need to be pregnant, though, I suppose. Still, it's annoying that it took that long. I'll have to punish them for making you read to them on tonight of all nights." He was behind Lance now, breathing into his ear with a smirk as his hands crept on either side of his stomach, which was thin for now. "Unless...you'll take responsibility for them."

 

Lance squeezed his eyes shut tight, letting out a shaky breath. He nodded. "I will take any punishment you give me. Just please..don't hurt my babies." He pleaded quietly. He didn't move away from Lotor, nor move toward him, he just stood there, still as a doll. His chest and stomach were both in knots, his head hurt, and he could barely breathe properly. He was afraid, he knew what was coming before, but he didn't know what "punishment" Lotor had in store for him. All he knew at that point was that he needed to stay quiet. He could not afford to wake his children, if they got involved in this, they would get hurt, and he would /never/ put them in danger like that.

 

Lotor was pressing his lips to Lance's neck, nibbling softly and teasingly as his fingers moved against his soft belly. "You're asking /me/ not to hurt your babies? What about all the brothers and sisters you've taken away from them? If you don't want them to get hurt, you'll give them a new family member. If you're truly a good mother, you'll make sure /this/ baby lives." He squeezed Lance's stomach while pressing his groin against his ass on the word 'this', now sucking against the back of his neck. Then, he finally took a step back so that he could strip himself. "You'd better show me you want another child, otherwise the other two won't be out of harm's way just yet."

 

Lance nodded without a word, tears burning his eyes. He didn't move, he was standing there next to the bed, practically frozen. His eyes were dull despite the shine of tears in them. He shivered a bit, it was cold in the room and the atmosphere was bitter with pheromones Lance was unintentionally giving off, making his fear known. He tried to suppress them, he did, but it was no use. He was truly afraid of the man standing behind him, and he didn't quite know exactly what to expect from him. He just prayed there would be no evidence too hard to hide, he had to have that meeting with the children's teacher tomorrow, but of course, Lotor couldn't know that.

 

Lotor grinned as he finished stripping himself, thoroughly pleased by Lance's reactions. He was so obedient and compliant for him. "That's a good omega. Know you're place. Down on the bed." He smacked Lance's ass to emphasize for him to hurry and followed him onto the bed, flipping him onto his back and crawling on top of him, still kissing his neck and shoulder. Then, he bit down, putting pressure into his jaws with the full intent of leaving marks and scars on Lance's body. His fingers were trailing down Lance's stomach and caressing his smooth thighs, appreciating how wonderful his mate's skin was. "It belongs to me...all of this right here belongs to me." He muttered, hands squeezing at Lance's thighs.

 

Lance flinched when he was bit. It hurt, but it wasn't like this morning, he was expecting it, he was ready for it. He focused on his breathing as Lotor ran his hands over his body, closing his eyes to spare himself from staring at the evil man above him. "Yes, sir.." he whispered, confirming Lotor's words. It wasn't a lie. He did belong to Lotor, his family practically sold him away, so many years ago, just for the money and glory. Ever since the day of the wedding, Lance has been bound to Lotor against his will.

 

Lotor made his way across Lance's chest, biting down and leaving marks all across the upper half of his body as he drank in his pheromones. His fingers had finally reached his lower half, ignoring anything in his crotch area since Lance's pleasure was something he didn't care about. No, he only cared about the hole he provided, so that's where his fingers went. A grin crawled onto his face as he breathed into Lance's ear. "You're getting so wet from this. You're always such a good omega, the best one out there, that's why I only wanted you. You're always so fertile down here for me, always ready for the next child, aren't you, you pretty thing?" His fingers teasingly prodded Lance as he continued biting him.

 

Lance bit his lip hard to keep the tears at bay. He continued to respond with quiet, painful words. He trembled under Lotor, trying to keep his focus on one thing. He tangled his fingers in the thin sheet under him and thought as deeply as he could about the cool fabric, trying his hardest to ignore the touches roaming where he didn't want them to be.

 

Lotor inhaled his mate's scent deeply, fingers pressing to his entrance below. Instead of pushing in, however, he pulled away and spread Lance's legs. "Remember that punishment we talked about? I thought I'd give it to you raw, without stretching you first. This won't be much of a punishment though since you're so wet down here you don't need any prep to begin with. You're the textbook definition if an omega ready to get bred, my sweet. Are you ready for this?" He moved his hips forward, placing his erection at Lance's entrance. "Are you ready for your next child?"

 

Lance didn't have the will to lift his head from the pillow behind him. He just stared at the ceiling with tired, broken eyes. "Yes, Lotor...I want you to breed me." He recited in a faked tone. It was a line by now. Just one of his disgusting lines begging Lotor for sex. They weren't genuine at all, but it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for Lotor to threaten the children if Lance didn't act like he wanted this. So, he tried his best. It took all of what he had not to break down and plead Lotor to stop doing these things to him. He was so very tired of losing his beloved babies to this monster.

 

Lotor grinned and swiped his tongue over his lips. "That's what I like to hear." In one swift movement, he buried himself completely inside of Lance, showing no mercy and shoving all the way in as Lance's wet walls contracted around him. He groaned in satisfaction in pleasure as his hips met Lance's, burying his full length inside of his mate's body and connecting them as one. Since Lance was on his back, Lotor could look into his eyes as he fucked him. "Do you feel full, sweet omega? I'll give you another child soon enough, I promise. Maybe I'll fill you up so good you'll have another pair of twins. Imagine that." Lotor chuckled, pressing a hand against Lance's stomach. "Two more of our babies growing in here. I can hardly /wait/!" He drew his hips back before shoving forward again, setting a pace convenient for himself and not caring for Lance's body.

 

Lance yelped in pain at first, the tears in his eyes slipping out and sliding down the side of his face. He tried not to cry out with every thrust stabbing into him. The supposed 'punishment' was definitely doing its job, Lance was having a hard time not sobbing and begging for mercy. It had been years since he was married to Lotor, so many times exactly like this. But Lance never, ever got used to the pain. He clawed desperately at the sheets as he bit his lip, only letting go when he was expected to talk. He remembered that he was supposed to act like he enjoyed it, so he forced a quiet moan, weakly grunting out the words Lotor wanted to hear. "Yes, m-my husband...f-fill me up. G-Give m-" he choked on a cry or pain as Lotor thrust into him again and again. He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. Throughout all of this, Lance didn't even gain an erection. He was so used to this situation, that not even being fucked by an alpha was able to turn him on the way it was supposed to. He was broken.

 

Lotor grunted in pleasure, staggered thrusting splitting Lance apart as his nails dug into his side's for a better grip and to stop Lance's body from moving so much. He loved it when his mate cried - it was so beautiful. He would never get tired of his body. "You take me so well, omega, this body was made for me." His breaths began grew heavier as he slammed into Lance harder now, intentionally avoiding his sweet prostate glands so that Lance got the feeling of being thrust into, but not the pleasure of it. "Come on, let me hear your voice. Scream." He grinned to himself. "Scream, otherwise the children will be the one screaming. Humiliate yourself. Let your children know their mother is a slut."

 

Lance tried so hard, but he couldn't hold it in. He let out a loud, pained scream as Lotor ordered him to, his entire body aching. "P-Please!" He blurted out in a high-pitched whine, trying to shift his body in any possible way that might pass the pain, but it was no use, every time he moved, the pain would worsen. "God...oh my god, please I- ah!" he sobbed loudly, trying desperately to move away from his attacker. He prayed his children couldn't hear this…

 

Hearing and seeing Lance desperately trying not to be loud and wriggling about in pain amused Lotor to no end. He wanted to humiliate him even more. "No matter what you want, you /will/ enjoy this, because you're an omega. It's what you do best." Lotor smirked as he thrust into Lance's prostate to give him pleasure and to make him scream louder. His hips were moving even faster than before, pistoning in and out of Lance as he tensed his muscles up. He felt up his mate's body, relishing in these moments. Pretty soon, there would be another child in him. "Keep letting the world hear you scream, babe."

 

Lance continued to scream, he didn't even have time to think about keeping quiet anymore. The pain was so heavy he almost passed out, but soon the pleasure was added, and his voice was set free after that. Screams of both pain and pleasure filled the room, the entire house. Their door wasn't closed, therefore the sound could travel freely wherever it pleased. Lance sobbed and gasped for air between his own yelps and cries. He was hard now, not by choice. His dick ached terribly within a few minutes of Lotor repeatedly hitting his prostate, but there was no sense of further pleasure for him to release. "Please.." he cried out, his mind foggy. "Please please please.." he sobbed. He wasn't sure if he was begging for release or just begging for his mate to stop ripping him apart.

 

The increase in screams got Lotor even more into it as he gripped Lance's hips hard enough to bruise them, fucking him with everything he had and getting ready to complete the process and leave his mate pregnant once again. The constant pleas were music to his ears, and he looked his crying mate in the eyes with a fierce fire. "Aww, you're begging for it now? Such a good omega...you're such a good boy for me. You're gonna love walking around with a new child growing inside of you, I just know it. Speaking of child, I think its...about time!" Lotor groaned as his hips began moving more erratically, signifying he was nearing release. "Are you ready, sweet omega?"

 

Lance wasn't in his right mind by that moment, he was just a mess of sobs and screams. His mind had practically shut down at this point, all he wanted was for the pain to stop. And as it increased when Lotor increased his speed, Lance let out another desperate scream. It wasn't as loud as the ones before, for his voice was beginning to go away. He had been screaming so much, his throat burned like sandpaper and his throat ached as well. He was still in need of a release, but there was nothing that could help him with that at all, because Lotor was careful not to so much as touch Lance's crotch area. The pain of needing to release only added to the excruciating pain in his lower half, blocking him from thinking at all, let alone answer Lotor's question. He was in agony and all he wanted to do was die. But he could never do that. He would never leave his children alone with this monster. Never.

 

Lotor was hammering away at Lance's ass with finality, grunting and groaning with every thrust. One hand continued to crush his hip while the other moved to his stomach, rubbing it appreciatively. "Get full for me, my sweet thing, carry for me. That's your purpose! Fuck!" Lotor cursed as he released, biting down and clenching his teeth together as he buried himself as far into Lance as he could. Hot seed shot deep into the omega body, coming out in large and constant waves. Lotor was howling in pleasure, their mixed voices filling up the house as he gave his omega what he deserved. "A new child, soon." He promised, stroking Lance's stomach more as he came.

 

Lance was drained of all strength now. He just lay there on the bed, flat on his back and sobbed. Even his cries were quiet now, he could barely make any noise at all. He felt like a porcelain doll that had been shattered into one million pieces. Everything felt so heavy, everything was so hard for him. Even the task of breathing in and out was a great struggle for him. He was reduced to nothing as Lotor continued to fill him with his seed, rubbing his stomach and talking about Lance's new baby. Lance didn't want a new baby. He didn't want to bring another life into this terrible world, this terrible life he and his children were living. He didn't want to bring a new child to life just to hurt and fear Lotor. He couldn't bear to look at the man in that moment, he squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head to the side, crying silently. He hated this, he hated his life. He hated that he had to be mated to this horrible man. He hated that his precious babies had to suffer through all of this pain and fear. He so wished he could leave. Leave this damned house with his children and never return again. But he couldn't. Lotor owned him, he was nothing more than a pet, a prize. And he was never anything more than that. That's what omegas were for. He was absolutely doomed to stay here for the rest of his life, and that thought tore him apart inside.

Lotor leaned forward and began kissing Lance's tears, trailing them back up to his eyes with his mouth as he winced with the last few shots of seed shooting out of him and into Lance, painting his insides white. His hand applied some more pressure to Lance's stomach. "There. You're all nice and full now. In time, it'll begin to show, and you can show off to everybody that you and I have a new child. Aren't you excited?" Lotor's hand that was bruising his hip moved up to cup Lance's chin, turning it. "We get to have another baby together. That is...so long as you behave. Obviously, if you don't behave, if you make one step wrong, then that'll prove to me that you're not worthy of having my next child yet," His hand turned into a finger gun, pointing it against Lance's stomach. "And then, we'll have no choice but to wait until the baby develops enough to be considered 

alive before killing it in your womb. I want this baby just as much as you do; I have to lie to all my workers about you. They don't know your body is a graveyard for your own children. They don't know how bad of a mother you are." Lotor grinned at his verbal abuse, knowing each word would sink in as he pulled out. "They don't know you're a murderer. But I do." He slapped Lance's cheek gently before crawling next to him on the bed. "And you do, too."

Lance's broken blue eyes overflowed with tears once again as he took in all of the terrible things Lotor was saying about him he slowly rolled to his side so his back was facing his husband. He covered his mouth as he moved, biting his lip to keep from making noise from the raw pain. He curled up into himself, trying to get comfortable. His free arm was wrapped securely around his stomach, Lotor's words echoing in his head as he thought about the baby. He glanced at the clock, wanting to cry harder when he saw that it read 3:45am. That meant they had been at it all night, and he only had about an hour and fifteen minutes to rest before he had to get up. He knew that he wasn't going to sleep in that short amount of time, so he just layed there, staring ahead with dull eyes, tears spilling from the corners every few minutes.

Luna had her hands over her ears the entire time, lips trembling as she cried just from hearing all the awful noises. She knew Riley was in a similar state as she glanced at the clock. 3:45 AM and they were still awake.    
  
Lotor grinned to himself, wrapping his arm around Lance and pressing his palm against his stomach. "A new baby, so soon...we'll add a third child to our family so, so soon. And as long as you don't go and kill it, the child will get to breathe air. Let's see if you care about your children enough to be good for them." He chuckled a bit before pressing his face into the back of Lance's bruised neck and going to sleep, hand still pressuring his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This book has only been up for less than a day and it already has a lot of attention?? I'm really excited about it! 
> 
> The first few chapters will be pretty heavy, but there will be fluff soon! It always warms my heart to read the scenes with Lance interacting with the twins. He loves them so much and he's such a good parent, especially under the circumstances. I'm proud of him. Anyway, the next update will be up soon!
> 
> Please comment!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance meets with the twins' school teacher to discuss Luna's grades and recent overall performance. After said meeting, he takes the children out for ice cream, per Luna's request.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No trigger warning for this chapter, other than Lance being in a lot of pain, but I don't think that's really considered a trigger? 
> 
> Shiro is introduced in this chapter!

Lance didn't sleep during that hour, just like he knew he wouldn't. As soon as Lotor fell asleep, Lance tried to squirm out of his grip, but it only got tighter. So, he layed there and watched the clock as the pain in his lower half mixed with the pain in his hips and stomach. The tears never stopped flowing, they still fell painfully slowly from his eyes. As soon as the numbers on the clock changed to 5:00am, he was sitting up. He pried Lotor's hand off of him, biting his lip hard as he stood from the bed. His legs shook as he steadied himself, there was so much pain. He made his way to the bathroom and immediately took two painkillers before finishing his morning routine which included a quick shower, getting dressed and brushing his teeth. It was at 5:30 when he stepped into the room where his pups slept. It was much earlier than when he usually woke them up, but he couldn't handle doing anything else right now, he just wanted to see his babies. He didn't wake them up, he just sat next to their bed and gently ran his fingers through their hair, humming softly to keep himself calm. He didn't want to cry and wake up his children, but he was damn near close to another breakdown. Luna slowly blinked her eyes awake when she felt a small shaking against her. She rolled around tiredly, having gotten practically zero sleep, and looked up at her dad. It was the normal time for them to wake up. She smiled and scooted towards him. "Hi, papa." She let him pull her into a hug as she leaned her head against him. She then remembered the reason why she had gotten barely an sleep; all the noise, the screaming, the crying, and the slamming sounds. She gulped and immediately felt afraid, not sure how to ask her papa about any of it. "Papa, are you...are you okay?" Lance smiled softly when he heard his daughter's voice and saw her move closer to him. He pulled her into his lap, his eyes burning a bit when he felt her wrap her arms around his neck and cuddle into him. He was okay just holding her, that is until she asked him if he was okay. He didn't know if it was because he was shaking, or if he had kept his poor children awake with all of his screaming that night. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it was the latter, and that broke him. Guilt bubbled in his stomach as he began to cry for what seemed like the millionth time that night, or day, or whatever. He hid his face in his daughter's hair and nodded. "Y-Yes, baby...papa's okay..I just..." He tried, he tried so hard to keep himself together, to stop crying and be strong for his daughter, but at this point it was virtually impossible. Luna's jaws fell open in shock as she listened to her papa crying and breaking right against her. It was crazy to actually see him cry, to have it right there. She never expected to have to watch her father cry, but she did what she could, rubbing his back and snuggling into him more. "Papa...it's okay, papa. It's okay...I love you, papa. Don't cry. Was it Sir? What did he do? Do you want ice cream? When I cry, you give me ice cream." She may be 7 years old, but she understood, more or less, what had happened. She understood that her papa had been physically hurt and that Sir did gross things with him. Lance let out a weak laugh at the offer of ice cream, and gave his daughter a squeeze. "T-Thank you, angel, but it's too early for ice cream now. How about we get some after school today, Hm?" He suggested, kissing her forehead and trying to wipe away his tears. He was already upset with himself for crying in front of his daughter, he didn't need to be crying when Riley woke up too. He took a deep breath and cuddled his precious pup close, rocking back and forth gently. He was feeling a little better now that he got to be with his children. They really were his stability. He loved them both so very much and he would do anything for them. He just wished he was able to let them sleep better. Luna shut her eyes, content as he rocked them back and forth. It was comforting to her, even though she wasn't the one who needed comfort right now. "Okay. We can go get ice cream after you talk to my teacher today." She agreed, excited now. She had something to look forward to after the conference that would happen afterschool. "Me and Riley did our homework last night together. He helped me with all of it! I think he would want ice cream, too. Should we wake him up now or let him sleep a little longer?" She looked back at her brother while staying in her papa's arms, talking to him about her and her brother and hoping it would help him be happy again. She didn't want to see him cry or hear him scream anymore. She didn't know why Sir did that to him. "He can sleep for a little bit longer. I'm sorry that I woke you up." he said softly, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I'll tell you what, baby girl. How about after the meeting, we'll all get ice cream together, and then we can come home and cuddle on the couch for a movie and a nap. How does that sound?" He smiled, knowing very well that all three of them were in desperate need of a nap. She nodded at the bit about her brother and looked up at her papa, smile growing more and more with every word that he said until she was gasping in happiness. "Yeah! Let's do that! Let's watch a movie!" She threw her face back into her papa's chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "You're the best papa in the world, okay, papa? The bestest!" She quickly quieted her voice, not wanting to wake Riley up. "Oops. I mean, the best!" She shouted in a whisper, giggling a little. Lance laughed softly and hugged her back kissing her forehead. "And you're the bestest girl in the whole world." he teased, tickling her a little bit. Riley woke up to his sister and papa giggling together, and he yawned, giving his father a sad pout. "No fair why does Luna get cuddles?" He whined with a tired voice. Lance looked at his son and smiled at him, holding his free arm out. "You can have cuddles too, baby. Come on." Riley sat up and clambered sleepily into his father's arms, cuddling close to his chest. "You okay, papa? Bad stuff happened..." he mumbled sadly, hugging Lance tighter. Lance just smiled sadly and hugged his children, kissing his son on the forehead and rocking them back and forth, "I know, niño. I know." He said softly, "Papa is okay. I'm so sorry."

×××

Shiro sat in his office with his hands clasped together on his desk, reading through a lesson book while waiting patiently for whenever Luna's dad would arrive for their conference. The girl wasn't in trouble or anything, he was just worried because of her grades...and maybe more than that? Honestly, Luna had always been smart. The problem wasn't exactly her grades, even though that was definitely suffering, but it was that she just wasn't doing much work lately. And well, Shiro couldn't give credit for work that wasn't done, and that was a big part of why she wasn't getting very good grades on stuff. He had been keeping a close eye on her lately due to this, and today, it had been pretty bad. Both her and her brother had looked ready to fall asleep while Shiro was reading to the class, and the book wasn't in a boring spot or anything. He just found their behavior as of late to be...different. that was why he wanted to speak to the parents. If it was just the grades, Shiro was sure he could just talk to her and do something about it.

 

Lance was busy for most of the day. He had gone to the store to pick up needed groceries, and to the bank to cash in Lotor's paycheck. It had taken him about an hour to put away all of his groceries. He was only allowed to go shopping once a month, so naturally he had to buy a lot. He had kept a bit of spare money in his pocket for the little ice cream date he had promised his children after school. Technically he wasn't allowed to use the money Lotor gave him for anything other than groceries, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Plus, Lotor owed his children ice cream at least, it was mostly his fault they didn't get any sleep the night before. As soon as he was finished putting away the groceries, he had to hurry out the door so he wasn't late for the conference. He was worried, but he hoped it would be alright. He had spent about 15 minutes this morning covering his neck with makeup, praying that it would be enough. He thought it was, but by the time he had gotten to the school, some of the makeup had faded without him noticing. He hurried into the office, giving the woman behind the desk a sweet smile before signing in and asking where Mr. Shirogane's classroom was. Once he got his answer, he thanked the woman and made his way to the classroom nervously. When he entered, he spotted the teacher right away and knocked softly to announce his presence.

 

Shiro's ears perked at the sound of the knocking, picking up on it immediately and looking up to see the figure standing there. He nodded his head and gestured with his arm to the chair on the other side of his desk, closing his lesson prep book that he only loosely followed and sticking it beneath his desk so that it was just them. "Welcome! You must be Mr. McClain. I'm Mr. Shirogane, it's truly a pleasure to meet you!" He reached his living arm out for a handshake, keeping the prosthetic at his side and briefly examining the man. He could definitely see his tanner skin on the two children. "Is it just you today?"

 

Lance smiled sweetly and set his hand in Shiro's hesitantly, his grip light as he shook his hand. "Um, yes. My husband is busy with work.." he said. Of course, it wasn't a lie. He just left out the part that his husband actually had no idea about this meeting at all. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Shirogane. May I ask where my children are at the moment?" He asked, glancing out the window to look for them. It was after school, and he would love it if they were doing their homework while this meeting went on.

 

Shiro shook his hand before pulling it back. Ah, so then they were two dads, an Alpha and an omega together. "The kids ran down to the cafeteria because there are cookies there for the soccer team, and I told them they could have some. I thought we would talk one on one for a little bit, if that's okay with you." He clasped his hands together on the table again, now showing his prosthetic arm and waiting for their father to take a seat. "If Luna didn't fill you in on what the conference was for, I just have a few concerns I wanted to go over. Don't get me wrong, she is an excellent student and person in general. Did you know I once saw her stand up to another girl who was being mean to Riley? We're going to be touching on bullying soon and how to handle those situations, but she handled it very well. You should be proud of her."

 

Lance sat down as Shiro was talking, he made himself comfortable before looking up in concern when he heard the bullying part. He smiled weakly at the compliments his daughter was getting, but still remained worried. "Yes, both of my children are great blessings to me. I'm glad that she's doing well protecting her brother, he can be very introverted and nervous around others." He sighed quietly before making eye contact with Shiro, he had quite beautiful eyes, but Lance shook the thought from his head and continued. "I'm concerned about the bullying you mentioned, may we adress that first? If you don't mind of course."

 

Shiro nodded, scooting in his chair a bit to be more comfortable and looking Lance in the eyes. He looked like he was far too young to be a father to twins of 7 years old, but he wasn't going to ask about that. After all, nowadays, there were plenty of couples who got lost in their pheromones and asked each other to get pregnant at younger ages. Not that Shiro was immediately judging him as that type of person or anything. "Yes, the girl was just telling him he was hogging the whiteboard because he wanted to draw, even though she had had the whiteboard for much longer already. Luna pointed it out to her. It was nothing too big and hasn't been a consistent thing, and I had a chat with the girl, too."

 

Lance nodded, "I see." he sighed. "Im glad that it was taken care of." he smiled at Shiro, then shifted in his chair, flinching a bit at the dulled pain in his lower half, his smile not faltering. "Anyway, I'm sure that's not all you called me here for. What else would you like to talk with me about?"

 

Shiro cleared his throat briefly. "Well, like I was saying, Luna is a brilliant student. Her and Riley really excel, especially when working together, but lately, I've been noticing some things. It's not just that Luna’s grades have been going down; she doesn't do a lot of her work and she gets distracted during lessons; not by talking to her friends, but just looking into the distance. Do you think everything is okay with her? I want to do everything I can so that she can succeed. Today, she was falling asleep alongside her brother, and I just wanted to make sure you knew how her behavior in school has been. Is everything alright with her?"

 

Lance's stomach dropped at the same time his gaze did. He fiddled with his hands which were both half covered by his large sweatshirt. "Yes," he sighed after a few minutes. "I take full responsibility for how my children are acting, I am deeply sorry." He looked up at Shiro when he apologized, dull Blue eyes full of guilt. "Last night was a very long one for the whole family, I don't think any of us got much sleep."

 

Shiro's eyes widened at his reaction, and his heart broke a little when he saw his eyes. "Wait - No, you don't need to apologize for anything! I just wanted to know so that we could help them! Whatever the case, I'm sure-" He cut himself off as his eyes locked onto a peculiar looking mark on Lance's neck. At first he wondered if he was just seeing a mating mark, but upon further inspection, it definitely seemed to be bruised. Shiro couldn't stop himself from speaking out of concern, especially since this parent looked so young. "Are you okay?"

 

Lance blinked in surprise, then furrowed his eyebrows and tilting his head in confusion. "U-Um, yes, why?" Of course it was a lie, but it's not like Lance could tell the truth. 'No I'm not really okay at all; my Alpha husband raped me last night and I'm still quite sore' was not something that would go over well with anyone.

 

Shiro's eyes softened, not convinced as he looked the man over some more. He could see hints of smudged makeup against the bruise. He was trying to cover it up. Why? Was there a story behind it he couldn't tell? Were there more? Maybe it was none of Shiro's business, but he was a teacher so that he could help others, so worrying was in his blood. And really, the more he looked, the more he thought he could see more makeup. It was hard to replicate the amazing skin on this man. "Is there something you could tell me? For the kids, I mean. How can I help?" He couldn't pry too much, that he knew, but he could try and do what he could.

 

Lance looked down again and thought for a moment. He honestly didn't know what to say to the man. He bit his lip, a nasty habit he had acquired over the years. He looked up at Shiro with a hint of sadness in his eyes, giving away his fake smile. "I honestly can't think of much you can do...I promise that I will be helping Luna out with her homework, I'll be sure that she does it to the best of her ability. And I will talk with both of them about paying attention -or in this case- staying awake in class. I apologize about that again, it was my fault. I'll make sure they get some proper rest tonight."

 

Shiro looked Lance over, not at all assured by any of that, especially due to the sad looks Lance had given. It didn't feel right. None of it felt right. Shiro's sense of danger was going off by looking at Lance and he wasn't quite sure why. He didn't want to do anything out of position though, so he stayed seated where he was, otherwise he probably would have wanted to put a hand on his shoulder and try to comfort him in some way. He did want to help; for now, he would have to do his job from his position as a teacher. He nodded. "Alright. I believe you. And if they had a hard night, it isn't their fault. If there's ever a bad night at home, just leave a note about it on their homework, and when they show me, I'll extend the time for them. I know homework can be a lot to deal with on top of other things, so I'll do everything I can to lighten the load for your family."

 

Lance seemed to relax just slightly, his smile was real this time, but the problem was that it showed almost exactly how truly exhausted the poor boy was. "Thank you so much, Mr. Shirogane. I will make sure that my babies will do as much work as we can at home. I'm very thankful for your kindness." He really was thankful. He didn't know many alphas in his life. His father wasn't one, and as soon as his older brother presented as one, he was off and away. So most of what Lance knew about Alphas was information taken from his husband. The manipulative bastards he is, he always told Lance about how Alphas apparently acted demanding and controlling, and omegas were meant to submit to any alpha no matter what. But this man, he was nothing like he imagined Alphas to be. He was kind and understanding, and he had a very relaxing aura about him. Lance appreciated that. He hadn't felt truly relaxed since back when he was a pup living with his mother. "Is there anything else? We still have a bit of time I believe." He said, glancing at the clock. He had to leave at 3:30, giving him enough time to get the kids their ice cream and go home to start a movie before Lotor gets home.  God forbid he comes home early like yesterday.

 

Shiro couldn't stop getting drawn to the bruise on Lance's neck, but he did his best to ignore it. Honestly, that bruise probably meant this man in front of him was the omega for his children, since he already knew there were 2 fathers. This could be another case of the alpha a using the omega; a tale that was far too common nowadays. Often times, however, the omegas ended up getting hurt, but were happy and consenting with it. This was a huge problem in their society since it meant the problems of omegas who actually suffered from abuse were sometimes overlooked, like they should just learn to enjoy it like others. Shiro didn't like that mindset, but he couldn't know what was going on here, so he just kept it in his mind for now. He could also use his position to learn more... "Well, why don't you tell me about yourself! You have a husband, correct? Was he busy today?"

 

Lance wasn't expecting small-talk. He shifted uncomfortably and fiddled with his fingers again, he looked like a child. "Yeah, um...he was at work today, he couldn't get away, so...I just came by myself." He nodded to himself, deciding that that was the right lie to tell. He looked up at Shiro with another forced smile. He wasn't fooling anyone, even though he was trying hard to fool everyone and himself. 'Maybe if I smiled enough I would feel happier. Or at least seem happier.' He thought to himself. He waited patiently for another question, or for Mr. Shirogane to just tell him that the meeting was over. He thought about speaking, asking the man some questions of his own, but omegas do not speak unless spoken to, and they have no right to ask questions unless permitted to. Thousands of rules just like that we're drilled into Lance's head by Lotor, and he followed them too.

 

Shiro observed Lance for a while longer, sympathy filling his heart. He didn't know the truth or anything or what was a lie and what wasn't, but he could at least tell the poor boy was forcing a smile. Shiro knew he couldn't help everyone he came across, but he really felt for Mr. McClain. Just seeing his bruise and the way he acted, it was very sad. Shiro still couldn't conclude anything that was happening; only that he was hiding something and it probably wasn't something good. He was going to speak more, but was interrupted when he saw Luna and Riley peeking into the room. He nodded, and they ran in towards their dad with cookies in their hand. "Papa, we got some cookies for you, too!" Luna announced, holding them out for him. Shiro couldn't help but smile as he watched, seeing that there was at least true love here. Also...it made him happy to see Mr. McClain smile without forcing it.

 

Lance gasped dramatically, a big smile on his freckled face as he took one cookie from each of his children. "Thank you so much, my angels! Did you get a cookie for Mr. Shirogane too?"    
  
Riley squealed and hurried to the edge of his teacher's desk, "Yup! Here you go, Mr. Shiro!" He smiled sweetly, reaching his little arm over the desk to hand him the cookie.

 

Shiro was surprised by the entire interaction, seeing a completely different side to the omega in front of him. It was heartwarming to see him interacting with his kids, and he was genuinely surprised when they gave him a cookie. "For me? Really? Aw, thanks a lot, Riley!" He exclaimed, accepting the cookie.    
  
Luna beamed looking between her dad and teacher, hoping that everything went well with the conference and that she wasn't in trouble, although she felt safe with both of them. She knew her papa loved her, and she knew Mr. Shirogane only ever tried to help her and cared about her. "Is it time to go yet?" She asked, tugging on her papa's shirt.

 

Lance turned to Luna, gently taking her hand so she would let go of his shirt. "Patience niño, we will leave soon." He said softly, smiling at Riley as he pushed his way into his father's side shyly. Lance looked up at Shiro with a genuine smile without even thinking about it. "Is there anything else you'd like to speak with me about, Mr. Shirogane? I can send the children away for a bit longer if you aren't finished."

 

Shiro was momentarily stunned by the smile on his face that he hadn't seen during their earlier conversation, eyes widening a bit. It just...fit. It looked right. The man in front of him should, under all circumstances, be smiling, always. Shiro couldn't help but think that as he cleared his throat and his mind. "No, no, that's all. I'm glad we were able to come to an answer, Mr. McClain." He held his hand out for one final handshake, smiling back at him. He really liked his smile, and couldn't help but think that whoever was married to him and had Luna and Riley with him was very lucky. It wasn't just Shiro praising his looks or his smile, either; he seemed very good with his children. The amount of love he had to offer was monumental. So his husband wasn't just lucky, he must've been super extra lucky.

 

Despite his better mood since his children arrived, Lance still had a hard time standing up without wincing in pain, and his handshake was just as weak and hesitant as it had been before. He did keep his smile though. Things were okay at the moment, his babies were with him, and they were happy. And he was proud and relieved to have worked out some school related issues with an alpha teacher all by himself. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shirogane. I hear nothing but great things about you from my babies, and it turns out that they're true." He turned his smile to his children who were both at his side. Lance pulled his hand away and let Luna take it in hers, Riley already holding his other hand.    
  
Riley looked up at his father with big sparkling eyes. "Ice cream now, papa?" Lance chuckled and nodded, "Yes baby, we can go get ice cream now." He looked up at the teacher and nodded in appreciation. "I hope you have a wonderful day, sir."

 

Shiro observed the handshake with the sympathy crawling back into him, but he didn't comment on it and simply nodded at him, smiling at the kids nagging him. "The pleasure was all mine. Have a great afternoon." He watched the family walk out the door, sighing and sitting back. Maybe he was overlooking into things? After all, they seemed happy. Surely they were even happier when they were complete with their other father? Hopefully.    
  
Luna was bouncy as they got in the car. "I can't wait! I'm gonna get chocolate. How about you, Riley, papa?" She hadnt forgotten they had planned this to make papa feel better, but still, it was ice cream. How could she not get excited?

 

"I'm gonna get strawberry!" Riley said happily, hopping up and down in the hallway as they walked. Lance laughed at his children and answered his daughter's question thoughtfully. "Hm, I think I'll get chocolate chip mint," he looked at Luna and then Riley with wide eyes and a big smile. "and lots and lots of chocolate sprinkles!" He laughed, Riley giggling too, squealing in excitement. "I want rainbow sprinkles!" He cheered.

 

Luna leaned into her dad with a wide smile on her face, hugging onto his arm. "Mmm, I like those flavors, too!" She declared. "And then when we get home, we can watch a movie, just like you promised, papa! Riley, you decide what movie!"    
  
Lotor looked at the clock and decided this was as good a time as any. He took out his phone and texted his sweet little omega. 'You have exactly 10 seconds to take a picture of where you are and send it to me. Failure to do this will result in pain for all your children, including the one in your stomach." Every now and then, he would remind his omega who he belonged to by making him send him pictures of where he was, so that he could keep tabs on the shitty mother. He always switched up when he did it and sometimes didn't even do it, just to always keep his omega guessing and to keep him too afraid to do anything reckless.

 

As Riley was thinking hard about what movie they would watch, Lance's phone went off and he jumped. He quickly let go of his son's hand to pull it out of his pocket. As he read the text, his face went pale and he looked around quickly. They hadn't walked far, they were still on the school campus, standing right in front of the school. He was terrified, but he had no time to waste, he quickly snapped the picture and sent it to Lotor. He stared at the picture until it sent, and when it did, he covered his mouth before shoving it back into his pocket and grabbing Riley's hand again. "We can decide at home, baby. We gotta go okay? Cmon let's hurry, aren't you excited for ice cream??" he tried to cover up his panic with a big smile and an excitement for ice cream.    
Riley didn't seem to notice as he was far too distracted by the idea of ice cream. He squealed and skipped along with his papa, ready for his frozen treat. 

 

Lotor's eyes narrowed as he received the picture, seeing the school. It was far too late for Lance to just be picking the children up now, unless he had slept on them like the bad mother he was. Suspicion creeped into Lotor. He was going to have to get the answer from his naughty omega.    
  
Luna didn't understand what her papa taking out his phone and everything he did meant, so she passed it off and skipped along with her brother, giggling. "I want to watch something Disney when we get home-" She stopped, yawning a bit and remembering she had barely gotten any sleep. She felt pretty awake and excited because, ice cream, but her body was exhausted.

 

Lance forced a smile at both of his children and nodded to Luna. "Of course, sweetheart." Their ice cream visit was cut much shorter than it would have had Satan not texted poor Lance. They were there for all of 10 minutes and after they all got their ice cream and Lance paid, they were on their way home. "I'm sorry, angels. Papa had to get home so we can eat our ice cream now and while watching the movie, Hm?"

 

Luna noddes, staying positive as she licked at her ice cream. "Mmhmm! It's okay papa! Let's just go home now and watch the movie!" She sat happily and ate with Riley until they got home, rushing to the house eagerly. Once inside, she began to go over a list of movies with Riley to try and decide on one to watch. She was feeling tired even with the ice cream, but she was determined to stay up to watch the entirety of whatever they were going to watch. She wanted to be up for her papa.

 

Once inside the house, Lance left the movie choosing to his children while he rushed around making sure everything was in place. He made sure everything was clean before returning to the couch where his children sat enjoying their ice cream. "What movie did we decided on, my loves?" He asked cheerfully as he sat in between the two of them.    
  
Riley was already finished with his ice cream and Lance had set his paper cup on the small table in front of the couch. He looked to his son for an answer and he smiled big, "Rapunzel!!" He squealed, jumping into Lance's lap.

 

Luna also got on the couch and snuggled up to her dad, licking her lips as she finished her ice cream. She was just getting more and more tired as she pulled her knees in to her chest and leaned into her papa as they played the movie, watching with a tired smile on her face.    
  
It didn't take too long for her eyes to start getting droopy as her head went down against her papa's arm, and her breathing became slower and more rhythmic. She wanted to stay awake, but she was so tired after getting no sleep the night before, and she ended up dozing off in the first 30 minutes of the movie.

 

Lance was second to fall asleep, he was completely exhausted and there was nothing he needed more than a good night's sleep. He knew that he probably wouldn't get it, and he tried to stay awake, but he just couldn't. Soon enough, he was fast asleep, an arm around his daughter and his son in his lap.    
  
Once his papa fell asleep, Riley hurried into his bedroom to get his blanket. When he got back he climbed back onto Lance's lap and spread the blanket around both him and Lance. Riley was already wrapped in his own blanket, so he didn't worry about her. He cuddled up to his father and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before returning his attention to the movie. Eventually, toward the end of the movie, Riley fell asleep as well. The house was quiet now, three exhausted babies fast asleep on the couch with the TV going on quietly in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance is a precious angel. He is an exhausted baby and he deserves rest and safety. 
> 
> I hoped you enjoyed this! I'd love it if you left comments, they make me so happy! Thank you to the people who commented on the previous chapter 💕


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor comes home from work expecting a meal and his omega greeting him at the door. He is infuriated to find his husband and two children fast asleep on the couch. 
> 
> Lance is punished severely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Graphic depictions of violence and abuse in this chapter. Lotor is disgusting and enjoys seeing Lance in pain. Read with caution.

Once Lotor was finished with working for the day, he headed home with the expectation that his omega would have dinner nearly done and the children would be holed up in their room where they wouldn't bother him while he interrogated his husband on where he had been today. But when he entered the house and saw them all cuddled up on the couch, he tossed out all rationale. Anger flared through him as he tore the blanket off and went straight for Lance's hair, grabbing it and yanking him off of the couch, letting the children who were up against him fall to the side. "What do you think you're doing, you piece of shit?!" He spat, voice like thunder splitting through a once silent and peaceful air.

 

Lance was wide awake by then, terrified eyes staring up at Lotor, grabbing weakly at his hand to try and ease the pain of his hair being pulled. "L-Lotor! P-Please let go, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep, I-" he tried to keep his tears at bay but some slipped as he tried to stay calm. "Luna, Riley, please go in your room and stay there until papa comes in." His voice was shaking, and he prayed that Lotor would spare their children and allow them to get out of the way. He didn't want anything to happen to them.    
  
Riley was scared, tears streaming down his face as he watched his papa get hurt. He wanted to help, but knew he couldn't. He nodded quickly at Lance's orders, taking Luna's hand and tugging on it for her to come with him.

 

"Don't go anywhere." Lotor threatened the children. He watched as his daughter froze and backed away with his son, both of them already crying in fear, but they did as he commanded. He turned his attention back to the stupid omega that was his husband, pulling him up by the hair until his face was level with Lotor's. "Who convinced you it was okay to fall asleep? Who said it was okay for you to take a break, when I'm working my ass off for you!? Who?! Was it the children?" He turned his gaze back over to them. "Which one? Who told you it was okay to sleep? Who?! What made you decide that was okay?! What made you think you could sleep without my permission?!" He smacked Lance across the face while continuing to hold him up by the hair.

 

Lance sobbed and shook his head as well as he could, "I-It wasn't them! It was m-me, I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to fall asleep! P-Please let them go to their room, I'm begging you. Please, they don't have anything to do with this!" He pleaded, struggling weakly to get out of Lotor's grip.    
  
Riley was shaking and crying, hugging his sister protectively. He didn't stand a chance against this man that always hurt his papa, but he would still try to keep his sister safe.

 

Lotor growled and shook Lance in midair by the hair the same way a dog might shake a cat in its jaws, anger still flaring through his eyes. He struck Lance across the face again before tossing him to the ground, kicking him. "No. They have to stay and watch. Especially you, son, watch and learn so you know how to discipline your omega when you're older. Unless you end up being an omega yourself; then learn right now this is how a slutty omega gets treated." He stepped on Lance more. "Bend over the couch and pull your pants down."   
  
Luna was nearing the point of hyperventilating, holding her brother close. She didn't know what to do as tears poured down her face, and she just desperately wanted to make all of this stop but she didn't know how, she couldn't get anywhere near this man. "Papa..." She cried weakly.

 

Lance shook his head quickly, getting on his knees and begging his husband desperately. "Please, Lotor. Oh god, please don't do this in front of my babies. Please, I'm begging you, let them go into their room. They don't deserve to watch this, please please. I'll do anything you want, just please let my babies go." He choked on his desperate cries and pleas for the mercy of his children. He didn't want them to see this. It was bad enough that they had to watch him be screamed at and thrown around like a rag doll. He couldn't deal with them watching as he was tortured in this way too. They were too young, he didn't want them to see this. "Please, I will do anything, I will take any punishment you give me, please."

 

Lotor narrowed his eyes, anger flaring through him more. He reached forward and pulled Lance up by his hair again, turning so his pained face was facing the children. "Fine. But I think they deserve an apology. Thanks to this stunt you pulled, they aren't going to get to eat tonight. They'll go to bed hungry; all because of you and your selfishness. So apologize. Tell them you're sorry for being such a bad mother." His grip in Lance's hair tightened threateningly.    
  
Luna's eyes were wide, and she wanted nothing more than to run forward to her papa, but she was frozen in fear, and it was frustrating and terrifying because she couldn't do anything but cry. Sir was the most terrifying thing she had ever seen, and all she could do was get ready to run once permission was given.

 

Lance sobbed in both relief and guilt as he tried to be quick so his children didn't have to witness this any longer. "I-I'm so sorry, niños. Go to your room now, wait for m-me to come in okay? Papa is s-so sorry, angels. I love y-you so much." He cried, his voice shaking with fear and panic. He just wanted them to get out of that room. His poor children didn't deserve to watch something like this.

 

Lotor shook Lance again before tossing him onto the floor and nodded at the children, watching as they fled up the flight of stairs. "Keep your door open until I say you can close it." He ordered, making sure they would at least hear this. He then turned his attention back to the sobbing omega, towering over him. "Now then. Bend over the couch, and discard your pants. You won't be needing them. You're lucky I just put that next baby in you yesterday, otherwise they would be dead for sure. I guess you're trying to kill your babies, at this point. Come on; MOVE you stupid fucking omega!" He roared.

 

Lance scrambled to his knees again and crawled to the couch quickly, doing exactly as he was told without another word. He noticed that the children's blankets were still laying there on the couch, he grabbed one and buried his face in it, crying and shaking as he waited for what was to come. 'At least my pups are safe.' He chanted to himself over and over, trying to be thankful for that. He was terrified. If Lotor was this angry for Lance falling asleep, he didn't know what was going to happen if he asked him why he was at the school so late today. Lance was in for a night worse than the last, if that was even possible.

 

"Now stay put. Don't you dare move, or the children will be the ones screaming." He walked off to a closet to grab a leather belt, folding it over itself while returning to the room. "You're going to scream beautifully for me, and we won't stop until I decide the lesson has been ingrained into your head. You bring this on yourself; I don't know how stupid you have to be to do something without my permission at this point. I suppose that just goes to show that omega like you have no brains; only a body ripe for breeding. Even if it seems impossible, though, I will tame you. I will teach you how to behave. And if not...you'll keep hurting yourself and our babies. Now then...let the punishment begin." Lotor lashed forward, sending the belt striking against Lance's ass and leaving a nasty and long red mark just from the first hit.

 

Lance screamed in pain, but it was muffled by the blanket he hid his face in. He didn't want the children to hear him screaming again. He didn't want to traumatize them further than that already have been. He knew that he was a terrible mother, but the least he could do for them now was keep his pain silenced. His small body trembled violently as he sobbed into the blanket. He waited in fear for the second blow, knowing it would hurt the same as the first, probably even more.

 

Lotor's eyes narrowed, not enjoying the muffled screams. He wouldn't settle for that; but he wasn't going to take the blanket away. No, he would get Lance's screams to ring loud even with his face in the blanket. Having him muffle his screams only helped Lotor want to hit him harder. So he did. He lashed forward violently and without giving breaks in between. Again and again the leather belt smacked into Lance's ass, the metal parts of it causing even more stinging pain. The brushes on his ass were growing purple with red marks everywhere as Lotor struck him relentlessly at every angle with the belt. "Scream, you slut! This is what you were born for, to obey me, and you can't even do that?! You're a piece of shit and you're lucky I keep you around still!"

 

Lance screamed and screamed, he couldn't breathe, he didn't have the chance to as his ass was whipped non-stop. He lifted his head from the blanket slightly in a desperate attempt to catch his breath, but just ended up screaming louder and sobbing violently. The bruises on his hips and ass from the night before made the pain even worse and Lance jumped and screamed in agony at every blow. He wouldn't be able to sit properly for days, maybe even weeks if Lotor keeps it up. "Please!" He screamed, clenching the blanket in his fists, desperately trying to relieve himself of some of the pain somehow.   
  
Riley was in his room with his sister, clinging to her and sobbing. Papa's screams we're so loud and terrible and it made him feel sick. They were laying on their bed, huddled together shaking and crying. He didn't know what to do and his chest hurt. He wanted to help his papa so badly, but he knew that he was too small.

 

Lotor was deriving great amounts of pleasure at the noises he was drawing out from his husband, belt lashing against his ass again and again. Finally, he paused to admire his work, licking his lips at Lance's ass that had basically changed colors. He walked closer and poked the ass with a finger gently, chuckling when the omega's body twitched in immense pain from just the small gesture. "You know, I've been thinking...if you're going to keep being such a bad mother...why let you stay here?" He sat down on the couch, cupping Lance's chin in his hands and turning his tear-filled face up to look at Lotor. "Wouldn't it save me so much trouble to just kick you out of this house, so that it's just me and the children? Does that sound good to you? Or do you want to stay with me?" He moved forward and kissed Lance. "Do you want to stay here with your husband? Your alpha?"

 

Lance's face lost all color at that, he immediately shook his head, "Please Alpha, please don't kick me out! My babies need me, please don't make me leave. I will stay with you! I will do everything you want, I swear! Please don't take my babies away from me!" He sobbed desperately.

 

Lotor grinned down at Lance's begging, letting go of his chin and letting his face fall back to the couch. "Mmm...so you want to stay with me, huh? I had a feeling. After all, nobody else could possibly handle such a useless little omega like you. You're the worst of the worst of omegas. Your only good quality is that you can take getting knocked up over and over again by me. But, the punishment must continue. Keep screaming for me." Lotor walked around the side of Lance before lashing forward, sending the belt striking against his back in between his shoulders. "Oh, you didn't think it was just your ass getting hit, did you?" Lotor chuckled. "We've got quite some work to do still, so be a good, patient omega. Do whatever I say, just like you promised just now, and take the beating." He lashed out all over Lance's back with fury.

 

Lance screamed in agony again, gasping for breath in between the pained sounds he made. He was getting dizzy, the pain was too much. He knew that if he passed out, the punishment would go to the children by default, so he struggled to keep himself awake. He was shaking violently and he felt sick to his stomach as he was beaten and forced to scream his lungs out. He screamed and sobbed until his throat was raw. He coughed so violently that he could taste blood in his mouth. He clung desperately to the blanket in front of him, trying his best to think about something happy. He tried to think about his children, how much they meant to him. He loved them so much it seemed impossible. He knew that he was a horrible mother, but he loved his children more than anything in the universe, and he would gladly die for them at any time. He would die before he allowed Lotor to touch his babies. He continued to scream and plead for mercy of any kind, his head pounding from both the excruciating pain and the terrible screaming he had done.

 

Lotor whipped him with the belt again and again, finally getting the reactions he wanted. It only made him want this more, only made him hit Lance with the belt harder, leaving marks all over his back, red and purple bruises covering every inch. The metal on the end of the belt was leaving red scars of blood on his back. He then lashed forward and sent the belt striking against the back of Lance's head, hurting every inch of him with glee as he moved to striking the back of his neck and then his shoulders and back and ass all over again, like Lance's back was a canvas for him to paint with bruises. He took great pleasure in the screams.   
  
Luna was crying hard as she and Riley hugged each other with their hands over each other's ears, desperately trying to block it all out. She didn't want to believe any of this was happening. She felt so horrible and useless. She didn't want this anymore, she hated having to go through this and hated that her papa had to go through this. She wanted it all to stop. She just wanted someone to save them.

 

Lance's screams were almost silent now, he couldn't help it, his voice was almost completely destroyed. He could feel his back bruising, the blow to the back of his head had caught him off guard, making him cry out in pain and trying his best to stay awake. He couldn't pass out, not now. His vision was faltering and he was mentally screaming at himself for being so selfish as to pass out. He could not black out now, his babies needed him to protect them. So he kept himself awake by straining his voice even more, screaming desperately. He was having a very hard time breathing as well. He didn't know how he was even going to get himself up the stairs after this.

 

Lotor struck him again and again, a wide grin spread across his face. By the time his arm fell to his side, he was panting from how much excitement was coursing through him, admiring the look of Lance unable to keep himself bent on the couch, just slumping wirelessly with pain. Lotor just let the belt drop to the floor, still breathing hard as he walked closer while taking his phone out, bringing up the picture of the school. "...so why don't you tell me where you were today, hm? Or I could always get the answers out of the two upstairs."

 

Lance was so weak he could barely keep himself from collapsing in dead weight onto the floor. He leaned heavily on the couch and gasped for air, tears still overflowing from his blue eyes. "I...I-I...I was at th-the school...I...h-had just finished a m-m-meeting with t-the children's t-teacher.." he managed to say every word he needed to, but he had a terrible time speaking coherently, his throat practically destroyed from all of his screaming.

 

Lotor's hand immediately shot forward upon hearing his confession, wrapping around Lance's throat and squeezing the air from him with wide and rage-filled eyes. "And you thought you could do something like that behind my back? You thought it was okay to not inform me? Why were you meeting him? And don't think I didn't see those." Lotor turned them to look at the cups on the nearby table that they had been eating ice cream from. "So you went ahead and did something behind my back /while/ spending my money?!" He crushed Lance's throat more, holding his body down against the couch. "What do you have to say for yourself?! You better have a good excuse, or the children are next. But I don't think anything you say can save them from getting hurt now."   
  
Luna heard every word being said, panic flying through her upon hearing Lotor threaten that she and Riley were next no matter what.

 

Lance gasped for air, desperately clawing at Lotor's hand. There was no way he could possibly speak in this state. Tears flowed faster as his blue eyes begged Lotor to let him go. He was panicking. He had to speak, he had to say /something/ something that would save his children from the terrifying wrath of their biological father. "P-P-Please.." he gasped, "l-let g-g-go-o"    
  
Riley was having a panic attack. He couldn't breathe properly and he was sobbing violently. "What d-do we do, sissy what do we do??" He gasped between terrified breaths. He didn't want to be hurt, or watch his sister get hurt, he didn't want to see his papa hurt. He wanted everyone to be safe, he wanted Sir to be gone. Papa was always so much happier and safer when Sir wasn't around, and Riley desperately wanted his papa to be happy and safe all the time. He just didn't know what to do.

 

Lotor growled, strangling Lance harder, sure to leave nasty red marks on his neck. "You think you're in a position to tell me to let go? You, going behind my back and doing things without telling your alpha, think you're in a position to give orders?" He threw Lance down on the ground, letting him have some breaths, towering over him and observing the red rings around his neck. "Pathetic." He then picked up the belt...and turned to walk towards the stairs.    
  
Luna was crying and had never felt so much fear in her life, never been in a situation as dangerous as this one, but fear for her brother overruled fear for herself. She shot to her feet and rushed to shut the door, biting her lower lip because their house didn't have locks. She looked around desperately for something that could block the door, something she could actually move, running to grab a chair and pushing it with all her might.

  
  


Lance gasped and coughed, almost vomiting, but he managed to keep it down. He cried out when he saw Lotor pick up the whip and turn away. He was going to hurt Lance's babies. "No!" He screamed, reaching out to grab at Lotor's ankle. "Alpha please!" He sobbed "Our pups have done n-nothing w-wrong! They don't deserve to be punished, hurt me, hurt me more, Alpha. Please don't hurt my pups please please." He begged and begged, trying desperately to keep his grip on his husband's ankle.

 

Lotor paused as he felt the hand on his ankle, stopping to look down at the bruised and beaten omega. "Look at you. You're so beaten and weak. You can't even take the punishment that you brought upon yourself. It doesn't even feel rewarding punishing you anymore. Someone needs to take the blame still. Unless you think you can keep taking the pain. Unless you can make it worth my while still. You do know it's your fault that this is happening, don't you?"    
  
Luna managed to get the chair in front of the door before pressing her ear to it, not wanting to listen but needing to to make sure she knew if Sir was coming up to their room or not. Tears still trickled from her eyes nonstop.

 

"I-I can take the pain!" He cried out weakly. It was a lie, realistically one simple blow could knock the poor boy out cold. But as a mother, he was more than desperate to do anything to save his children. "Please...please a-alpha.." he begged, tears soaking the floor under him.    
  
Riley was quick to help his sister, he helped her push a variety of different things against the door, but neither were strong enough to push anything truly effective against the door. "Luna, I-I'm scared!" He cried after a few minutes of frantically blocking the door. "I want papa." He whimpered, staring at the door with fear in his eyes.

 

Lotor glared down at Lance, more annoyed than anything else with his omega. He lifted the belt...and sent it lashing forward, striking Lance straight across the face with it while also kicking him and sending him onto his back. His scar-ridden, bruised, beaten back was against the cold, hard ground now, exposing his stomach to Lotor. "You're lucky there isn't a developed child inside of you, otherwise I would beat them through the skin of your stomach. However, this much will have to do." He began to strike Lance across his chest and stomach and the front of his shoulders with the belt, fire raging in his eyes. "This will teach you to never even think about going behind my back again! Is that right? Have you learned your lesson?! What is the lesson here, tell me!" He roared.   
  
Luna fled from the door to hug Riley, crying as they held each other while the screams came from downstairs.

 

Lance cried out as loud as his voice would allow him. "Y-Yes!" He screamed, "I-I've learned m-m-my l-lesson, Alpha! I-I will never-r go behind your b-ba-Ah! Your back again!" He sobbed, writhing on the floor in agony. 'Please please please' he screamed in his mind. And for the first time in years, Lance found himself pleading desperately for help. 'Please somebody help me' he cried out in his mind. He couldn't take much more of this. His eyesight was wavering once again and he was trying so very hard to stay awake to keep his husband occupied. He needed him to stay away from his children. He /needed/ to stay awake. To hold on for them.

 

Lotor whipped Lance with no sympathy, not even responding to his pleading as he covered his front in red scars. Finally, after a while of whipping, he threw the belt down onto Lance's body and stepped on his face. "You filthy mutt. Let this be your lesson to never try anything without my permission ever again. To never wake up without my permission. To never sleep without my permission. To never fucking breathe without my permission. To never cook for the children without my permission. You must ask me before every action, whether you have to text me to ask me or not. Your body won't be in any condition to hurt for a very long time, meaning any mistakes any time soon, and the kids will be the only ones for me to blame." He stepped off and left Lance there on the floor, shutting the lights off on him and leaving to their room.

 

Lance lay on the floor, barely conscious at all. His breathing was ragged and he couldn't see straight. When the lights around him were turned off, he began to cry. It was over. Thank god. He curled in on himself slowly, trying his best not to vomit as he did so. His head was in so much pain, but his body was worse. He shakily wrapped his arms around his stomach, letting out a weak sob as he thought about the terrible life this poor child was going to have. That is, if Lance was even able to keep the poor thing alive long enough. He felt more suicidal then than he had ever felt in the years he had been married to that monster. He sobbed quietly, shaking on the cold floor as he chanted the same words in his head, torturing himself even more. 'You'll never escape. You'll never escape. You'll never escape.' He was going to die here in this house.    
  
The silence that fell after the yelling stopped and the door across the hall slammed was suffocating for both children. The only sound in the entire house was their small sniffles. They couldn't even hear the quiet sobs of their broken papa downstairs. As soon as Sir began to snore from the bedroom papa shared with him, Riley jumped into action. He started moving the things away from the door as quietly as possible. He didn't dare make any noise for fear that he would wake up sir. "Luna help me! We have to get to papa!" He whispered loudly, tears still flowing from his violet eyes.

 

Luna's lip trembled, but she slowly began to move things with him, unable to even make words as they pulled their stuff away from the door. It was a lot of work, but she knew they needed to go see him. She was never going to forget this night for the rest of her life. Tears were still spilling from her eyes as they moved everything. "Riley, really slow..." She wanted him, knowing they couldn't risk waking up Sir by the sound of opening the door and walking out. She watched as her brother slowly opened the door, and then, they tip-toed out and down the stairs, able to hear the sound of crying. "Papa...?" She whispered as they entered the room the event had taken place in, seeing his figure on the ground. She gasped, still keeping quiet as she rushed over, crying even more now. "Papa!"

 

Lance let out a quiet whine as he heard his children walking into the room. "M-My babies..." he cried weakly, moving his arm from his stomach to reach for them. He was too weak to move any further than that, he couldn't sit up, couldn't move himself even to the couch, he couldn't move. He didn't want to move, he just wanted to lay there with his children safe in his arms. "Oh g-god.. did he hurt you? A-Are you alright?" He asked with a shaky, raspy voice, tears flowing from his blue eyes. His eyes were dark with exhaustion, fear and depression, but of course the children were not paying attention to that.    
  
Riley let out a panicked sob, hurrying to his father's side and setting his small hands on Lance's wet, bruised cheeks. "No, Papa..we're okay..." he whimpered, trying to keep quiet. "Papa I'm so scared..." he cried.

 

Luna knelt down next to them and held her papa's hand, doing her best to make sure her sobs were quiet, knowing they would all get hurt if they woke Sir up. "I don't like this papa..." She cried. "I don't want it to be like this anymore...why does Sir have to hurt you? I don't understand why papa...I don't want him to hurt us anymore..." She scooted closer and clutched his hand to her chest. Luckily it was dark, so they couldn't see how badly his body was hurt. "What do we do, papa?" She asked, hoping that her papa would know what they should do because she didn't.

 

Lance squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a shaky sigh. "I-I...I don't know, princess..." his voice broke as he talked. He shivered violently, but took a deep breath, trying to pull himself together at least a little bit for his children. "Riley.." he whispered, "Riley, please go get the pillows and blankets from the couch for papa." He said weakly.    
  
Riley quickly did as he was told. Lance wrapped one of the blankets around himself before forcing himself to sit up, biting his lip so hard it drew blood. There was so much pain. He managed to drag himself to the rug that covered the middle of the living room floor with the help of Riley and Luna. He set one of the pillows under his head and the others next to him. There weren't enough supplies to make a nest, but it was enough to sleep. "Come here, niños." Lance said softly, holding his arm out for his children.

 

Luna rushed to her papa's arms, still choking down her sobs so that they wouldn't wake up Sir. Not even her papa knew what to do. "Papa...it's gonna be like this forever, isn't it?" She asked, fingers clenching his blanket as she fought her tears as best as she could. "I hate it papa...I don't understand why..."

 

Riley did the same as his sister, pushing his way into his papa's arms and cuddling up to him. "Papa don't let it b-be this way forever.." he whimpered, "I don't like it, papa. I don't want it to be like this!"    
  
Lance let out another sob, this time a bit louder, but not loud enough to wake Lotor due to the damage done to his throat. He held his children close and tight, his grip was protective. "I know, niños, I know." He hiccuped, sniffling and trembling. He honestly had no idea what to do at this point, and the feeling of helplessness was eating away at him. He was slowly breaking and there was no way out. He had no hope to give his children, and it was the worst thing. He had finally reached his breaking point then. He began to apologize multiple times, shaking and sobbing. "I'm so sorry...I'm so so sorry. This is papa's fault. I'm so sorry I let this happen..I'm so sorry I'm such a bad papa...I'm so sorry, mis amores. I'm so sorry."

 

Luna just cried with her papa, shaking and not knowing what to do. So she did the only thing she could think of. "I love you, papa." She promised, hugging him more. "I wouldn't want any other papa but you. I'm sorry that I don't have anymore ice cream. But I love you. Don't be sad papa!" It was hard for her to be convincing since she was also sad and crying, but she could at least tell her papa she loved him. She didn't want him to hurt anymore.

Lance kissed her forehead and did the same for Riley. His tears were shill falling but he was only sniffling quietly now. "You two are the most important things in my whole universe, you know that?" he said softly. "I love you both so much. I'm so sorry you have to go through this...I would get you both out of here if I could. I'm so sorry..." he was slowly slipping into unconsciousness, but he wanted to stay awake and tell his babies how much he loved them, so he continued to give them little forehead kisses and snuggles. "Luna, Riley, you two are my everything. I will never allow Sir to hurt you, okay? I love you so much."    
  
Riley just cried and cuddled his papa close. "I love you too papa..."   
  
Lance just sniffled quietly and closed his eyes. "Go to sleep now, niños. Papa is here." He said softly, nuzzling his children with his nose and keeping his arms around them protectively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably end up giving you guys a few updates today. There are a few chapters left of build-up before anything good happens. The next few chapters will be rough. Bear with me though, things do get better! 
> 
> Also I'd like to apologize for the big long hunk of text in the previous chapter. I tried to break it into paragraphs before I uploaded it last night but I guess it decided not to save that part? I'm not sure. I'll probably fix it at some point soon, but not right now because I'm lazy and exhausted.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins are very strong children. Loving and brave as they are, they decide to ask someone they trust for help. Lance visits them at school to bring them lunches, and has a heartfelt conversation with Mr. Shirogane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some nice Shance fluff. It's angsty fluff, but fluff nonetheless. 
> 
> Buckle up my friends because this is the calm before the storm.

Luna woke up around the time her body was used to waking up on weekdays, snuggling closer into her papa's arms for warmth. Then she realized where they were, and yesterday's events came rushing back to her. She watched her papa and Riley sleep, still unable to see her papas wounds because of the blanket covering him, and something told her she didn't want to see it. Just knowing he was hurt was bad enough. She didn't understand why any of this happened, and even if she couldn't help, she wanted to at least understand. Then, she heard a voice. "I see you flocked together." She turned to see Sir standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at them. She immediately snuggled closer to her papa in fear, trying to hide from his sight.

 

Lance didn't wake up on his own, he couldn't. The poor thing was so overwhelmed and hurt that his body had just shut itself down. One of the children would have to wake him up in time for him to walk them to school. 

Riley woke up next, letting out a quiet yawn and opening his eyes a bit, jumping and attempting to hide himself from sight as soon as he saw Lotor standing on the stairs. Lance unconsciously cuddled both children protectively, as if he could sense their distress even when he was sleeping.

 

Lotor made his way down to them, each step exercising his authority in this house. He watched the children snuggle up close to his pitiful omega, towering above them with an unforgiving look on his face. "Tell me. What was he doing at your school?" Neither of his children answered him, instead just snuggling up closer to the omega. His eye twitched in anger, but his daughter quickly raised her head. 

"He was...he was talking to my teacher, Sir." She spoke obediently, pleasing Lotor immensely. 

"Why?" He watched her lower her gaze. 

"Because...they were discussing my grade." Lotor's eyes narrowed at that. 

"So he decided to do it behind my back..." He thought for a while before turning to leave them. He would have to fix his omega's mistakes.

Riley looked at his sister with worried eyes. He didn't want Sir to hurt papa again. He hoped that Sir wouldn't come back into the room. "What time is it, sissy?" He said softly, looking down at his papa's sleeping face.

There was a large bruise on Lance's cheek where Lotor had hit him with the belt, and his neck had an even darker bruise in the form of a handprint.. The rest of his body was covered, but there was no doubt that bruises just like those, maybe even worse, covered most of his body.

Luna waited for Sir to walk away before wriggling out of her papa's arm to look at a clock. "...come on, Riley. Let's get ready." She looked down at her papa, wanting to cry just from the bruises that she could see. "Let's let papa sleep. We can walk by ourselves." She crawled away from their sleeping spit and stood up, stretching a bit before quickly making sure Sir wasn't going to come back. They had to get ready...but she also didn't want to leave papa alone. But then, she didn't want to let Riley walking around the house to get ready alone. They couldn't even feel safe in their own house... "We'll just get ready super fast." She suggested.

Riley nodded and sat up, giving Lance a little kiss on the cheek before following his sister. "Is papa gonna get sad if we leave?" He asked, looking back toward his father with a worried look. He didn't want Lance to wake up all by himself. "Maybe we could stay home to take care of him today?" He suggested, thinking about staying home and cuddling papa all day to make him feel better.

The thought of staying home for their papa was certainly appealing to Luna. "We can ask papa. I don't want to leave without talking to him. But we can let him sleep for a little longer." She also didn't want to leave him for fear of something else bad happening. Even papa hadn't known the answers to what they should do last night. This was just how they were going to have to live...it scared Luna, and it made her very sad because she had never before seen her papa get hurt by Sir this much, but there was nothing she could do. She didn't even understand why this had to happen to them, and she didn't know if she ever would as she brushed her teeth.

Riley stood in the bathroom behind his sister, getting dressed. He started brushing his hair as she brushed her teeth, then they switched. Most siblings fought over many things, including the bathroom, but neither of them had fought much at all. Sure, they did once in a while, but for the most part, they were quite close. Once the two were finished getting ready, Riley grabbed his backpack from their room and slung it over his shoulder. He hoped papa wouldn't be upset with them for not waking him up. He really needed the extra sleep.

Luna lead the way back to the living room to look at their papa sleeping on the floor, not wanting to wake him up. At some point, while they had been getting ready, Sir had already left, so she felt a little better about leaving. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. "I don't know if papa will be able to move much. Put a water bottle next to him for when he wakes up." Luna told Riley, walking to the kitchen to look for food to set next to him. Her stomach grumbled, and she gasped, realizing how hungry she was, too. They had missed dinner and breakfast, and they didn't have lunches for the day. But there was no more time. She just grabbed some bread and walked it over to her papa. "He won't have to get up for a while this way." She turned to the clock. "Okay, Riley. Sir is gone, so I think he'll be okay. We should go."

"But aren't we gonna wake him up and say goodbye..?" He asked sadly. He didn't want to leave his papa at all, but he knew that the two of them should go to school. He was worried that papa would wake up and panic because he didn't know where they were though, and he didn't want to cause him any more pain or stress. He was very scared and concerned about papa and he wasn't sure what they should do.

Luna looked back at their papa and Riley, thinking about it. She didn't want him to think Sir took them. "Okay, let's say bye to him fast." She suggested, putting her backpack down and quickly walking to where he was sleeping, crouching down and hesitating for a second, not wanting to disturb him. But Riley was right; he might only get worried that they were gone. After all, they had both heard what Sir said last night...about taking them away... "Papa." She shook him gently.

Riley followed behind his sister quietly, sitting down in front of his papa with worried eyes. "Papa?" He said softly after Luna's attempt had failed. 

It took Lance a few seconds to finally wake up and connect with reality. At first he thought it was a dream, his children sitting in front of him. But when he tried to sit up, feeling the pain explode all over his body, he knew it wasn't a dream anymore. He grunted at the unexpected pain, but took a deep breath and looked up at his beautiful children. "G-Good morning, angels...what time- oh my god, what time is it?" He began to panic, they would be late for school! He sat up quickly, taking in a sharp breath and biting his lip so hard that blood filled his mouth with its bitter irony taste. Tears burned his eyes, but he tried so hard to focus on his children. "Wha-What time is it, niños?" He said, sounding out-of-breath. He was extremely light headed and could barely concentrate. 

Luna gasped in shock at him forcing himself to sit up, immediately reaching forward. "Papa stop! You're hurt! Riley and I were just leaving for school, but we wanted to see you first." She tried fixing the blanket on him, looking him over with concern. The marks on his neck and face only looked /more/ red than they had before.

Lance's face fell into one of guilt and sadness. "Y-You two got up and ready on your own..?" his voice cracked a little. Of course the kids were old enough to do those things themselves, but Lance always helped them. He loved waking them up and giving them love and cuddles in the morning, he loved to make them their lunches and walk them to school. It was one of the only senses of domestic life he could ever get. It had become such a routine for him, that he felt horrible for sleeping through it today. "I'm so sorry...I-I should have gotten up, I- do you both have a lunch prepared?" he asked, concerned that neither had their lunch bags with them.

Luna exchanged a glance with Riley before smiling back at her papa. "It's okay papa, we want you to sleep more. Sir is gone already. We just want you to be okay. We love you, papa." She shuffled forward before hugging him gently, not wanting to hurt him more. "It's almost time for Riley and I to go. You don't have to get up. There's water here. We'll be back soon, okay papa?" She said, not really answering the lunch question.

Lance sighed and hugged his daughter back. "I love you too. Both of you.” He accepted Riley into the hug as well, kissing both of their foreheads before letting them pull away. "But this does not excuse you from my question." He narrowed his eyes with a motherly gaze. "Do either of you have lunches packed?" he looked from Riley to Luna, back and forth, waiting for an answer. 

Riley shifted nervously and looked at Luna, choosing to stay quiet and let his sister do the talking. He wasn't sure what to tell him.

Luna melted under her papa's gaze, not willing to lie to him but not willing to make him feel bad, either. She knew that he knew they didn't have dinner or breakfast, and would go crazy over them not having lunch. "N-no, but we can get lunch from the cafeteria! And...share with friends!" She had to add that last part since they all knew Sir didn't deposit any money for them in the school's cafeteria. "We'll be okay papa...just sleep. Riley and I have to go." She hugged him again, hoping he would be alright with that answer. She didn't want to leave until he was okay with it.

Lance nodded, knowing that there wasn't time to make them lunches now. They needed to be getting to school. "Alright, angels...will you be alright walking there on your own? If you can just wait a few minutes I can go with you-" he tried to stand, heart set on being with his children. He ignored the terrible pain that occurred every time he moved. Pain was something he had to learn to ignore. No matter how injured he was, life went on, and he had to do the same. 

Riley quickly threw his arms around his papa's neck, stopping him from getting up any further. "No!" he scolded, "Lay down and rest, papa. Me and Luna will be fine. We will be home soon, I promise." He tugged the blanket around Lance's shoulders so he was warm enough, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. He walked away, picking up his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. "Bye, papa, we love you." 

And with that, Lance was left alone in the house. Riley walked down the sidewalk with his sister, "I hope papa will be okay..." he mumbled sadly. He looked up at his sister, "What are we gonna do...?"

Luna looked down as she walked, flashbacks to her papa's screams going off in her head and making her tremble a bit. However, she shook it away for her brother and turned to him. "Papa will be okay. Let's do good in school. Maybe...maybe one day we can take papa away from here." She said one day, because she was sure that they were never going to be escaping Sir for a very long time. Just the thought of what was ahead for them frightened her...but she kept it inside, for now.

Shiro sat with a whiteboard in front of him as his class gathered in front of him on the carpet for their 'important lesson'. He briefly glanced over at Luna and Riley, remembering last night and how he had met their father. Nice man. He was happy for them. As the class finished gathering, he shook his head to clear it. "Alright, class. Today we're going to be talking about 'bullying'. Now, what is bullying, exactly? Does anyone know? Why don't we make a list of what we think bullying is, and then we can create our own definition." He vegan calling on kids who raised their hands eagerly, beyond happy to hear all their pure responses like 'bullying is when you're mean to someone' or 'bullying is when you budge in line'. When he called on Luna, though, the answer wasn't what he expected. 

"Bullying is when you hit someone else and make them cry and you aren't sorry." Shiro wasn't sure if he should be worried. Technically she was right, so...it was just a little violent. But he accepted it.

Riley seemed to be in deep thought. He of course, didn't raise his hand. But that was to be expected, he rarely participated in such things. He was simply too shy to do so. He flinched slightly when Luna answered, glancing at her with slight surprise. He wondered if she should have said that, or at least said it /like/ that. He saw Mr. Shiro's expression when she answered, the concerned look in his dark eyes reminded Riley of his papa. He was always worried for him and Luna. He sighed quietly leaned toward Luna the slightest bit, his shoulder brushing hers. He just wanted to be closer to her, thinking about sir hurting papa scared him to no end and he didn't like thinking about it.

Shiro went through the bullying discussion without much hiccups from there, managing to layer out a definition of bullying for the class and coming up with a diagram of things to do when they see it, the one he emphasized most being to come talk to him about it so he could fix the issue. He then gave them all an in-class assignment where he put a bullying scenario on the board and for them to pretend they were seeing it and to draw what they would do. 

Luna sat next to Riley at their table, looking down at her paper as she attempted to draw papa and Sir. She was scared just to draw him, though, hesitating as she looked over at the list of solutions the class had made, with number one being 'Talk to Mr. Shirogane'.

Riley did as the assignment said, quietly drawing undefined stick figures of someone crying, and someone else next to them looking mean or angry. Even though he didn't label them, he knew who they represented. He knew that this drawing would be incorrect. He drew two other stick figures, one representing Luna and one him. They were in the middle of the two representing his parents, looking like they were planning to stop it. He knew that this would never be possible. Sir was too big and strong. Riley could never take him on. He was so scared of him anyway. He read over the rules, his eyes landing on a particular one. The first one, "talk to Mr. Shirogane." He looked at Luna with a small spark in his violet eyes. He didn't say anything, because he knew that she was thinking the same thing. It was probably a twin thing. Riley hoped he was correct about his sister sharing the thought of talking to their teacher, he wanted to help papa so badly, and this might be a good way.

Luna looked from her drawing to Mr. Shirogane to Riley, biting her lip. She wanted to ask for help. She knew they needed it. Without saying anything to her brother, she got up to talk over to their teacher, knowing he would follow. Mr. Shirogane was a very big man, but ontop of that he was very nice, and those were the reasons she thought he could help them. She wasn't strong enough to stop Sir, but Mr. Shirogane looked very strong. "Um, Mr. Shirogane...could we talk to you?" She asked slowly, still a little hesitant because she didn't know how this would go. His smile was so kind and supportive though that it made her feel better about herself. She trusted her teacher more than anyone else after her papa. She liked him a lot. 

"Go ahead. What is it, kids?" He asked in a soft voice.

Riley was afraid. He knew that Mr. Shirogane was nice, but he was scared that they shouldn't be trying to get help. He wasn't sure what papa would say, and he knew that sir would be angry. Though he was scared, he knew that this was likely the only thing they could do to save their papa. Riley didn't speak, he didn't know what he would say. He just quietly stepped forward a bit so he was closer to his sister before glancing at Mr. Shiro. He could help...right?

Luna glanced at Riley nervously before taking a deep breath, hands behind her back. "I just wanted to talk to you about some bullying that I've seen...and I thought talking to you was the best solution..." 

Shiro smiled at the little girl, leaning down a bit to get more on her level. Luna and Riley were easily some of his most beloved students and he would do whatever he could to help them, especially if they were being bullied. "Alright. You can tell me, don't worry. You're doing the right thing. What is it?" The little girl shuffled nervously a bit before looking away from him. "It's...bullying at home." Shiro's heart dropped as her words hit him. Domestic abuse. "...why don't we talk somewhere else?" He suggested, standing up and directing them to a more secluded corner of the classroom.

Riley grabbed Luna's hand as they walked, giving her a nervous look. He was worried about what was going to happen. When they got to the corner, he glanced around, only to calm down when he realized that no one was looking at them. He looked at Shiro with violet eyes full of fear and anxiety. Riley always had a hard time with social situations, but this one was harder because it involves the well-being of his family, and he was so afraid that it would go wrong somehow. What if sir found out? He squeezed Luna's hand gently at the thought and looked away from Mr. Shiro. He couldn't speak up.

Luna stared at her teacher anxiously after they arrived at the secluded side of the classroom. Violet eyes shining with the same fear as her brother, with a touch of confidence added. She was absolutely ready to do whatever it took to save their papa. She didn't speak, however, she waited for Mr. Shirogane to speak instead.

Shiro crouched down to face the two of them, giving them both a serious yet concerned and supportive look. "Hey, listen. Everything is going to be okay, I promise. I can help. But I need you to tell me all the details. It's okay, nobody is going to get in trouble for this, but I want to do whatever I can." He was deeply disturbed as he thought over everything from last night. Their conversation about the kids having gotten no sleep, the mark on Mr. McClain's neck, his tendency to apologize to Shiro just because he could sense Shiro was an alpha...all of it just screamed a classic case of alpha on omega domestic abuse. He just hoped it wasn't too bad…

Luna's confidence quickly faded after that. She wasn't sure where she should even start. She squeezed her brother's hand as she prepared herself for this. Her eyes burned and her nose felt stuffy already, even before she started. She sniffled a little and looked up at Mr. Shirogane with tears in her eyes. "O-Our papa was hurt bad, Mr. Shirogane..." she whimpered. "S-Sir always told us to never tell, but it's b-bad this time and we didn't kn-know what t-to do! Even p-papa didn't know what to do a-and we don't want it to stay l-like this forever!" 

Now Riley was crying too, and he finally pitched a few words in, "P-Please help our papa, Mr. Shiro...bad stuffs a-are happening.." he said softly, sniffling as stray tears made their way down the little boy's flushed cheeks.

Shiro's heart hurt upon hearing them and seeing them like this, and he quickly pulled them both in for a hug, his hands stroking through their hair comfortingly. "Shhh...hey, it's gonna be alright." So it was domestic violence, as he had suspected. "Come on, don't cry, shh...I promise everything will be okay. Thank you for telling me. I'll do whatever I can to help, okay? Your papa's gonna be just fine. You did the right thing by telling me." He would have to get in contact with legal officials and report the domestic abuse to them. It shouldn't be too difficult to find proof, since Shiro had literally seen bruises on Mr. McClain. The main difficulty would be getting anyone to care. Lots of people turned a blind eye to alpha on omega abuse, saying that it was just natural. That was just because alphas ran the higher up government, and they made the world benefit them. Shiro would have to make sure he could do something, though. He had promised now. He continued making comforting noises as he hugged the kids.

Both children clung to Mr. Shirogane and cried. The poor things were shaking with fear and sadness as they did. They had just taken a huge step, and even though he told them that it would be okay, they were still afraid to believe it. Luna was, at least. Riley saw this man as their savior and he had a complete and innocent trust in him. Mr. Shirogane was gonna make things better, he could feel it. 

Meanwhile, Lance was still at home, of course. He had managed to get himself up and into a nice warm bath. He didn't stay in too long, however, as he had an idea to bring lunches to school for his children and maybe spend the time with them. He had learned his lesson thoroughly, however. He knew that he couldn't go without asking Lotor first, so that's what he did. With a heavy resentment and fear settling at the bottom of his stomach, he typed out a short text with bruised, shaking fingers. /The children didn't have a chance to pack a lunch, and they haven't eaten since yesterday. May I please bring their lunches to their school today, alpha?

Lotor was just going about his work when his phone buzzed, alerting him of a text from his omega. He stared at the message, eyes narrowing at the nerve he must have had to think he could even request anything of Lotor after how last night had gone. 'The floor is where you belong, omega. However, you get to humor me. If you bring them lunches, you don't to eat for the rest of the day. If I find out you chose to eat anyways, both children will be vomiting blood tonight'. 

Lance's breath stopped as he read the reply his husband had sent. His eyes burned at the thought of his poor babies getting hurt by that bastard and the image of it in his head made him feel sick and angry. He took a deep breath and got on with typing his reply. 'As you wish, Alpha. I will not eat today. Thank you for allowing me to provide for my children.' He was quick to prepare their lunches before making his way into the bathroom. He practically caked the makeup onto his skin to hide the bruises and marks. It took him almost an hour to properly hide everything. When he was satisfied, he left the house. 

 

Shiro was staring intently up at the ceiling, trying to think of a game plan to take so that he could resolve this issue as best he could. Perhaps it would be best to meet with them again at least...or at least with Mr. McClain. He needed to get to the bottom of this. He didn't want to let this omega and his children suffer anymore.

The children had gone back to their work, still sniffling every so often, but they'd left Mr. Shirogane to do his own work. Soon it was lunch time and the two sat quietly at their desks, looking longingly at the food around them. They had told their father that they would share with friends, but they honestly didn't know very many people in their class. At least, Riley didn't. He wasn't sure about Luna.

Shiro was sitting at his desk and tapping his finger against his leg as he went through his papers, but he kept looking up every now and then at Luna and Riley, unable to get their cries out of his head. He wanted to do everything in his power for those two, because he had seen the relationship they had with their father, what with them bringing him a cookie and him calling them 'his angels'; it was the most precious, adorable thing Shiro had ever seen. It almost made him want actual children of his own, which was something Shiro usually tried not to want too much since he had other things to focus on in life. Speaking of their relationship with their dad, his eye caught movement in the door and he was surprised to see Mr. McClain himself standing there as the children gasped in both shock, happiness, and...concern. The children were concerned. Should Mr. McClain not be up right now?

Lance smiled softly as Luna and Riley jumped up from their seats and ran to him. They both gave him a big hug, careful not to hurt him. 

"Hello niños, I brought you some lunch!" He said cheerfully, his voice still quite scratchy from the night before. He was still very weak, and it had caused him quite a bit of pain to walk all the way here from the city bus stop. He was very light headed and there were several instances on the way where he had to stop and catch his breath, but he managed.

Luna pouted at him, but it wasn't very serious because, even though she was upset and worried for him, she had just been crying, so seeing her papa made her feel a lot better. "Papa, we said we could eat with other people..." She muttered, still holding onto him, wanting to make sure he didn't fall over or anything. She then peaked around to make sure Sir didn't suddenly pop out of nowhere or anything.

Shiro stayed seated at his desk, letting the family have his moment. He did want to talk to Mr. McClain, not directly about what the children had told him, but just converse to get a bit if a better understanding of him.

Lance shook his head, running his fingers through his children's hair. "You don't need to eat other people's food. Plus, I wanted to see you, I missed my babies." His hands were still shaking, but it was only noticeable to Luna and Riley. 

Riley felt horrible about it as soon as he noticed and he decided that his papa should sit down as soon as possible. "Papa..come sit with us." he said as he pulled away, taking his hand and guiding him toward the table they were sitting at previously. Lance happily obliged and was soon sitting at the table between his two children. He reached into the bag he had brought, pulling out two sandwiches, some fruit and two granola bars, handing one of each thing to both children. The bag seemed to be empty, and Riley wondered if his papa had eaten anything at home today. He hoped he did.

Luna scooted close to her papa as she picked up the food, happy that he came to see them but worried at the same time. She somehow doubted he could be moving right now. But he had already come all this way, so she ate the sandwiches he had brought. She heard footsteps approaching them and looked up to see Mr. Shirogane approaching. She suddenly felt nervous, remembering that they had told him everything, and looked downwards as she ate. 

"Mr. McClain, it's good to see you." Shiro said, pulling up a chair and sitting across from them with a smile, clasping his hands together. "How've you been?"

Lance smiled at the teacher, "I've been alright," he lied smoothly "how have you been? I apologize for barging in like this, by the way. I accidentally slept in this morning and missed my chance to make the children their lunches." He explained with a pained tone in his voice. He was very angry with himself for sleeping in, and he proceeded to mentally abuse himself for it just as Lotor would. He kept the smile on his face however, hoping to hide the true pain that he was feeling. Standing was bad, but sitting was worse. The belt had bruised and cut almost every area on the poor boy's body. His ass, his back, his chest, his face, even his legs. He was in agony, but somehow the sweetheart managed to hold a smile. He looked much paler than when Shiro had seen him before, and upon further investigation, he seemed to be shaking. 

Riley sat quietly next to his papa, listening and glancing at him every once in a while to make sure he wasn't going to suddenly collapse. From the way looked, it could have been a possibility.

Shiro observed him for a while, feeling a bit of concern. From the way the kids had run to him just earlier that evening, it sounded like Mr. McClain went through something horrible just last night...and if he really looked him over, Shiro could tell something wasn't quite right. He mulled this over for a bit, trying to decide what he should do. "...I've been doing well. Actually...would you be interested in meeting with me after school today? I would like to talk to you about some things." He briefly wondered if this would get him in trouble with his alpha. "It's for school purposes, of course. For Luna and Riley."

A flash of fear was visible in Lance's eyes for less than a second before he reacted fully, shaking his head with a small smile. "I'm very sorry, but I have to be home by that time." He said vaguely. His smile faded into a concerned frown, "Is there a problem? If it's urgent, I can speak with you now." 

Riley looked at Mr. Shirogane with a worried look, glancing at his sister and back to the teacher. He was worried that if papa found out that they had told Mr. Shirogane, he might get upset with them. He finished his sandwich and leaned his head on Lance's arm, playing with his father's sweatshirt sleeve.

For whatever reason, Shiro felt his chest fall a bit upon being rejected, most likely just because he wanted to be able to help this family. "No, I completely understand. I only had good things to say about them, so I don't think I would say there's a problem." Shiro had to be careful. If he jumped straight in and asked about things, he knew he would scare him away. For now...it was best to just learn what he could. "I don't believe I ever caught your name, though, Mr. McClain." 

Luna was also nervous about what her papa would do if he found out they told Mr. Shirogane, but luckily, their teacher didn't seem keen on ratting them out. It made her feel a bit better about it. It helped her trust him more than she already did.

Lance was surprised that he wanted to know his first name, but he knew better than to question an alpha. "Oh, of course. My name is Lance." he smiled. He felt he should have done something like maybe shook the man's hand again, or /something/ aside from just sitting there, but Lance couldn't bring himself to move more than absolutely necessary. He felt quite tired, but he didn't mind speaking with Mr. Shirogane and being with his children. He would much rather do this than sit at home alone. Injured or not, Lance hated to be home alone. It was almost a phobia, almost. He hated it so much that he even preferred Lotor being home with him rather than being home by himself.

Lance McClain. So that was his name. Shiro liked it. "As you know, I'm Takashi Shirogane. It's a pleasure." He gave a slight nod before looking down at the children snuggling close to him. "I can tell you love your kids very much. It's inspiring." Luna leaned into her father's arm before looking up at him. "You don't have any kids, Mr. Shirogane?" The question surprised Shiro, and he paused for a moment before smiling sheepishly at her. "Ah...no, I don't. I'm an unmarried man." He chuckled. The fact that he was single didn't really bother him, since it was honestly rare to find an alpha that was okay with being single nowadays. He liked being an exception. Although, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about what it might be like to be a father. That was why he was a teacher though; he could guide kids every day through life. That was good enough for him.

"Well, children are a handful, but everything is so worth it." Lance sighed happily as he looked down at his children. These two were honestly the only reason Lance was alive. They were his reason to live, they were the most important things in his life. He wondered why Takashi was unmarried. Lance had never heard of an adult alpha that wasn't married. He looked up at the man with confusion written all over his freckled face. "I know that this is none of my business, Mr. Shirogane, but may I ask why you are unmarried?"

Shiro smiled fondly as he watched Lance's interactions with his children. Being a teacher for the kids was nice, but it wasn't exactly the same since he couldn't treat them as closely. "I don't mind at all! There isn't an exact reason. I suppose I've just never found the time or the interest, you know? There isn't much respect for the art of looking for someone you truly connect with nowadays. I see many people who get together for the sake of getting together and having kids..." He trailed off, smiling at them and wondering what type of relationship Lance had with his alpha. "I suppose I shouldn't rant in front of the children, though. If I did have kids, I'm sure I'd want them to be exactly like yours, though. Luna and Riley are wonderful students."

Riley smiled at the compliment and shyly hid his face in his papa's sleeve. He wished that Mr. Shirogane was his father instead of Sir. He sat there quietly, thinking about how much happier everyone would be if they didn't have Sir in their lives.

Lance nodded in understanding, a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach. His eyes suddenly had that dreadful sadness in them. Lance could hide his pain with a smile, easy. But what he didn't know was that those big blue eyes told everyone around him what he was really feeling. He thought about what Shiro had mentioned. He said that he wanted someone he connected with. Lance wanted that once too. He still wanted that now, but the dream of falling in love for real had just been buried deeply over the years. It had been a while since he even thought about that dream. It was simply too impossible of a dream to hold onto.

Shiro pursed his lips together as he looked at Lance, watching his eyes gloss over with a shadow of doubt and longing, and...regret? Sadness? Shiro wasn't quite sure what emotion passed through those blue eyes, and he was pretty sure he couldn't discern what it was because it was multiple negative emotions surfacing all at once. Seeing Lance like this, he resembled an animal that had been abandoned...or rather, one that was trapped, not abandoned by people but abandoned by love. Without even thinking, Shiro moved his hand forward to grab Lance's. He knew he probably shouldn't since the man was married, but...well, he was a natural comforter. Besides, just touching hands didn't need to imply anything other than comfort. "You know, Mr. McClain, I think Riley and Luna are very lucky to have you. I may not be a parent, but I respect you as one. You are a very good father." 

 

A simple hand touch would have barely meant anything to anyone else. But this was a monumental experience for Lance McClain. Ever since the wedding that bound the poor boy to that monster of a husband, he had been completely isolated from every other person in the world. Lance honestly couldn't remember the last time he was touched by anyone aside from Lotor and his children. It was overwhelming and he was terrified, but at the same time, he felt a warmth, a hint of relief with the simple action. Shiro's touch was so gentle and kind, so foreign to what Lance was used to feeling. When Shiro had first reached out his hand to touch his, Lance had flinched away on instinct. But as soon as he felt the man's warm hand atop his own, he immediately froze. Now, the young omega just stared down at the man's larger hand encasing his own with wide blue eyes which were suddenly filled with tears. He wasn't sure what to do, he knew that he should never allow someone aside from Lotor touch him, but he so desperately needed the comfort. He didn't move, just stared at Shiro's hand for a very long time. "Thank you..." he whispered eventually. It wasn't only for the compliment about his motherhood, his children. It was for everything Shiro had just unknowingly done for the broken omega. 

Shiro's eyebrows furrowed in concern at Lance's reaction. Like he said before, he was a comforter; he could recognize the signs in people when they were hurt or scared, and right now, Lance was showing all of them, just from making contact with Shiro. Sure, he might've felt awkward having an alpha that wasn't his touching him, but it was more than that, it was even more than just an omega's normal fear of an alpha jumping them in public. It was a deep-rooted type of fear; the kind that runs deep in your veins and keeps you up at night. Right now, Lance was showcasing his scars. "...you know, if you ever want to talk..." he trailed off, trying to think of a better way to say this. "...I'd love to speak more, Mr. McClain. You're always welcome to come see the children."

Lance's pale, freckled face softened into a weak smile and he lifted his gaze toward Shiro. "Thank you, Mr. Shirogane. I highly appreciate all that you've done for me and my children. You are a very nice man, and I think that anyone who gets to be your mate in the future will be very lucky." He still didn't move his hand. He just reveled in the comforting feeling. Just a little bit longer...he said to himself. He knew that this was the only gentle touch he would feel today, aside from the love he gets from his children. He longed for this. He even envied the omega that would someday be Shiro's mate. Shiro was the kindest, gentlest alpha Lance had ever met, and he couldn't help but wish that the man was his alpha. He wished that he could be happy with someone, wanted so badly to be free. But he knew that it would never happen. So he just enjoyed the feeling of the alpha's hand on his own. /Just a few more minutes.../

Shiro didn't pull away so long as Lance didn't pull away, not having this type of contact with adults very often. He hadn't realized just how much he'd separated himself from physical intimacy until this moment, relishing in the feel of Lance's smaller hand beneath his. A glance at Luna and Riley reminded him that this omega was already taken, and that prompted him to pull away, heart skipping a beat and facing growing bright red as he mentally scolded himself. "Apologies, I didn't mean to...well..." He cleared his throat and stood up to change subjects. "I'll leave you with the kids, then." He turned to walk back to his desk, still able to feel that small, fragile hand in his. He suddenly paused and did a double take, briefly observing Lance. He...wasn't shaking as much anymore?

Lance smiled softly and nodded, masking his disappointment when Shiro moved his hand away. "It's alright." He assured quickly, feeling a bit odd for saying that phrase to an alpha. As the alpha got farther away, Lance took a deep breath, flinching when the pain from before made a comeback. He had forgotten about the pain altogether while talking to Shiro, and Lance couldn't quite place how that happened. There was quite a lot of pain, so for almost all of it to just go away like that, it was very confusing. Lance just shook his head lightly and glanced down at his children. He gave them a loving smile, moving his hand to run his fingers through Riley's hair. 

There was a burning hope building in Riley's chest. He had never seen his papa act like that toward anyone. Papa rarely talked to others outside of Sir, Luna and Riley, but when he did, he didn't act like that. Maybe Mr. Shirogane could help them. Papa looked relaxed when Mr. Shirogane was touching his hand, maybe even happy. Riley wanted to see his papa like that more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter before my lazy ass goes back to sleep ✌️


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor reschedules the parent teacher meeting and forces Lance to apologize for his attempt at handling this matter on his own. Shiro is increasingly worried and suspicious as the meeting progresses.
> 
> Another calm before the storm. The worst is yet to come in the next chapter- prepare yourself.

Lance stood at the counter with a fairly large bowl in front of him. He had a baby-blue apron tied around his waist and a big smile on his face as he watched Luna try to crack an egg. "Ah ah," he stopped her before she could hit it against the counter. "Lightly, baby. You don't want the egg to shatter, you might get eggshells in the mix if you do that. Tap it lightly against the side of the counter. Like this, see?" He took an egg and demonstrated what he told his daughter to do, expertly cracking the egg into the bowl. 

Riley watched with big eyes as his sister tried to crack the egg correctly just like papa had showed her. He didn't want to crack eggs, so he was given the task of pouring the dry ingredients into the bowl. His job was done, and now it was Luna's turn, so he just observed quietly.

Luna's tongue stuck out from the side of her mouth as she followed after her papa's example, lightly tapping the egg against the counter. There was no crack. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she tapped it slightly harder, getting a few small cracks. A little bit of the egg white got on her fingers, and she gasped, showing it to her papa. "It's sticky! And it isn't cracking like yours!" 

Lotor sped through the road back towards the house, wondering what pitiful sight he'd come home to this time. The omega hadn't eaten and wasn't allowed to eat for the rest of the day. Lotor already planned to make him only watch them eat. Then he'd inform him of the rescheduling Lotor had gone through. Honestly, what a stupid omega, trying to handle affairs with other humans by itself...so much disgust coursed through Lotor. God, his omega was so hopeless.

Lance laughed and took his daughter's hand in his, helping her tap the egg correctly and open it over the bowl. "See? Like that." he smiled, kissing and nuzzling her cheek playfully. Riley wanted to be a part of the love, so he giggled too, hugging his papa's leg. "Now we stir it all together, and it'll be brownie batter!" Lance said enthusiastically as he grabbed the wooden spoon. He looked down at Riley, "Would you like to stir it, mi amor?" 

Riley's eyes lit up and a big smile spread on his face. "Yeah!" He took the spoon from his father and stepped up on the stool so he could reach. Lance stood behind his son, supervising as Riley busied himself with stirring the batter.

Luna giggled at her papa kissing her, watching him finish the batter and moving a bit so Riley could stir it. She loved getting to be in the kitchen with her papa. It was fun, and it felt nice to just have a moment for them to be happy after last night. Unfortunately, the moment didn't last long. It never did.

Lotor walked into the house to the sound of laughing. His eyes narrowed a bit as he shut the door behind him and went straight to the kitchen, seeing all three of them there. They stopped their laughing upon seeing him, and his eyes fell on his daughter. "So. I heard you aren't doing well in school." He began walking forward, finding it a bit amusing how she immediately hid behind Lance; as if his stupid omega was capable of protecting anybody.

Lance stepped in front of Luna. He was afraid, but as always, he was prepared to protect his children. “She's doing her best in school, Lotor. It has been taken care of. Everything is alright.” he said, taking a deep breath to hide his fear. He prayed that Lotor would listen for once and let them have one night without the horrors he put them through. One night was all he wanted. Just one safe night. 

Riley hid behind Lance as well, holding onto his sleeve nervously. He didn't say anything, but he hoped that sir wouldn't hurt anyone tonight. Papa needed time to rest and he didn't want his sister to get hurt either. He just wanted things to be okay for once.

Luna was quivering as she held onto her papa's shirt and pressed her head into his back. "I'm sorry...I'll be better..." she whispered. She didn't want to get hurt, but even worse was if Sir decided to hurt papa because of her...if papa got hurt and it was her fault...she didn't want that.

Lotor walked over until he was right in front of them, peeking behind Lance at his children with a grin that only made them look more scared. His eyes narrowed. "I'm your father. I expect more respect than just cowering. Especially from you, Riley. I'll make you into an alpha." His gaze then went back up to Lance, and he leaned closer, lips ghosting over the skin of his cheek. "I rescheduled the meeting with her teacher, by the way. Can't have you thinking it's okay to go off making choices of your own. I trust you still haven't eaten, correct? You'd best be careful. If you keep slipping up, the baby that's gonna start growing in you soon isn't gonna live very long."

Riley's eyes burned with fearful tears as he buried his face in Lance's shirt. He was trembling and crying quietly as Sir spoke to him. Riley didn't want to be forced to be anything, but honestly he hoped that he did grow up to be an alpha so that he could save his family from this hell. 

Lance stood still and avoided eye contact with his husband, nodding silently as he was asked about food. He was starving, and he felt quite ill, but it was for the greater good. By starving himself, he was allowing his children to eat. His eyes burned at the thought of the baby in his stomach dying, and he bit his already split lip in order to suppress the tears. He was trembling slightly, but not as much as his poor babies hiding behind him. He wasn't surprised that Lotor had rescheduled the meeting, not at all. "When..." he whispered, "When is the meeting?"

Lotor's hands moved forward to stroke down Lance's shoulders sensually, and he moved closer until he was shamelessly ravaging his omega's sensitive neck right in front of their children. It was nothing too graphic, but it was something, just to show them where their beloved 'papa' really stood. "It's tomorrow, maybe an hour after their school gets out because I still have work to do..." he trailed off to nip at Lance's neck lightly. "And you'll apologize and admit it's your fault she's failing."

Luna cowered away as soon as Sir started putting his mouth on her papa's neck, making a tiny squeaking sound. She wanted to cry from hearing him say that she was failing, she was trying her hardest.

Lance closed his eyes and nodded silently, allowing Lotor to do as he pleased. He even tilted his head to the side slightly out of fear that he would be angry if Lance didn't do so. "Yes, Alpha..." he whispered shakily, his right hand moving behind him and secretly searching for Luna's hand. He heard the noise she made, and aside from that, he could sense her fear and sadness. When he found her hand, he held it tight, rubbing his thumb over the back of it soothingly. He made a mental note to make sure that he made her know that this isn't her fault. 

Riley was about to break. He was terrified, and he trembled all over. He clung to Lance's shirt tightly, burying his face against it. He was afraid of what Sir would do, he didn't want to let go of his papa no matter what. He wanted so desperately to protect his papa and his sister, but he knew that he wasn't strong enough.

Lotor purred in approval, kissing his way up to Lance's ear and nibbling against it. "There's a good boy. As obedient as you should be." His hands roamed down Lance's sides and towards his hips, pausing as things got intimate. He chose not to do it, however, pulling back and away from his omega. "I've got some work to finish up on my laptop, and won't appreciate being disturbed. Just be quiet until I call for you." He squeezed Lance's thigh before leaving to their room. 

As soon as Sir began to leave, Luna let a small sob escape her, wrapping her tiny arms around her papa's waist. Sir was threatening them because of her.

Lance watched as Lotor left the room before turning around and kneeling down so he was at the level of both of his children. He set his hand on Riley's cheek and kissed his forehead before turning to Luna and holding her face in his hands gently. "Luna, baby look at me." He said softly, rubbing his thumb over her cheeks to wipe away the tears. "No more tears, sweetheart, it's okay. Everything is alright, this is not your fault, okay?" 

Riley sniffled and glared at the door sir had left the kitchen through. It was the door to his office, which the children were never allowed into. Papa was rarely allowed into sir's office, and when he was, bad things happened. Riley was angry. He wanted to save his papa from this bad man. The boy was only seven years old and he could still see that this entire situation was killing his papa. 

And it really was. Lance was on his last legs. He was beyond exhausted, and he often felt extremely sick or lightheaded at sudden periods of time. He didn't have to take a pregnancy test to know that he was pregnant. He knew. Pregnancy tests would just cause a panic attack. It would make things too real. So, Lance pushed on. The morning sickness was bound to happen soon, though the poor boy hadn't eaten anything for a very long time. But somehow, amidst of all of this, he seemed to always be there for his babies. They were his world after all.

Luna couldn't answer as she stepped forward and buried her face in her papa's chest, scared for him and her and Riley. She never knew when Sir was going to lash out and hurt him, and she was certain that if it did happen, it would be her fault. She wasn't sure how much more of this any of them could take, especially her papa. "I'm so sorry..." She sobbed, even though he was saying it wasn't her fault. Sir had said she was failing, and be was going to publicly humiliate her papa tomorrow because of her by forcing him to apologize and say he was at fault. "I'm sorry papa...!"

"Oh, no. No no no, don't apologize baby." Lance wrapped his arms around his daughter and sat back against the counter, pulling her into his lap. "This is not your fault. Shh, breathe, Luna. Papa's here. You're okay." 

Riley was quick to join the hug as well, sitting next to his papa on his side closest to the door, still glancing at it protectively as he hugged his papa and sister. Lance felt awful. He hated that Lotor was making his children think that this is their fault. Luna is trying her hardest, and Lance knew that. He was angry, but he was too weak to act on the feelings. He held his daughter tight and kissed her forehead multiple times, "This is not your fault. I am so proud of you, princess. You and Riley have been doing so well in school. I could not be a prouder papa." he said softly, hugging Riley too.

Luna bit her lower lip and tried to nod, but she couldn't stop her sobs as she buried herself in her papa's comfort and did her best to focus on his words. Did she really make him proud? Did it matter, if it wasn't good enough to protect him? Sir wanted to humiliate him thanks to her... "...okay, papa..." she muttered, taking in his reassurance. "Okay..." 

 

***  
Shiro flipped through his papers, getting out assignments of Luna's that he might need for the discussion as he watched the twins drawing at their desks, the classroom completely empty except for them. School was long over, and Lance and his husband would arrive soon. Shiro was, admittedly a little nervous to meet the Alpha that had wed Lance, simply because he already felt bad vibes without even knowing the guy, but he would try to keep an open mind. He never was the type of man to judge a book by its cover. Before long, footsteps caught his attention, and he looked up to see a man with long white hair enter the doorway with Lance following behind him. The kids were immediately paying attention as well.

Lance had been dreading this all day. He hadn't really done much throughout the morning other than get the children ready and send them off to school on their bus. He had spent most of his time cleaning the house and applying makeup onto the violent bruises that still tattooed his dark skin. He was still quite exhausted, and he was starving. He hadn't eaten anything for days, and he was too afraid to ask permission to do so. The afternoon came far too soon and Lotor stopped by the house to pick up Lance and take him to the school. His stomach was tied in knots as he ran through the possible situations in his head. He was afraid of what was going to happen, worried that he might slip up in some way and doom himself as well as his children. He walked a couple paces behind his husband, as an obedient omega should, as they made their way through the halls. As soon as they walked in, Lance could barely breathe. He was suddenly hit with an overwhelming sense of pressure and he had to take a second to focus on his breathing in order to avoid a panic attack. 'It's gonna be okay...' he tried to assure himself. He sent a glance and a small, reassuring smile to his children before turning his attention to his husband and the teacher. He anxiously waited for one of them to speak.

Shiro extended a hand, gesturing to the two chairs he'd set up in front of his desk while also offering a handshake. "You must be Luna and Riley's father! It's a pleasure to meet you." They walked forward, and he shook hands with alpha before they sat down. "Likewise." The man said before turning to Lance. "My omega would like to apologize for coming to see you on his own the way he did. I know you asked for both parents to be here." He paused to stroke Lance's cheek, a gesture that made Shiro's stomach twist a little. "Go on. Say sorry." The man coaxed.

Lance closed his eyes and took a shaky breath as Lotor touched him. 'It's okay, just do it.' he repeated in his head, opening his eyes and looking away from his husband and down at his lap. "I..." he began, stopping when he realized he had spoke too quiet. "I am very sorry for attending the previous meeting without my alpha." He seemed to be shaking, as always, but he looked different from the last couple of times he had met with Shiro. He looked very pale and fragile. He looked unhealthy to say it lightly. The poor thing was avoiding eye contact at all costs. He felt so weak and humiliated. He hated that he was forced to apologize for taking things into his own hands. He hated that he had no rights to do anything on his own, that he was an object. Tears burned his dull Blue eyes as he sat there quietly. He wanted to leave.

Shiro was...disturbed, to say the least. He saw no reason for the apology, and honestly, he had seen no reason to reschedule this meeting to begin with. Obviously though, as a teacher, if parents wished to discuss with him, he couldn't really refuse. "...it's fine." He spoke warily. "So...what is it you wished to discuss?" 

Lotor chuckled, fingers still stroking Lance's cheek. "Well, why don't we go over what you went over in the previous meeting, regarding my daughter's failing grades?" 

Shiro's eyes narrowed, and he felt himself getting defensive. "Well...actually, she isn't failing anything. I was more worried about her participation mostly, actually. However, I believe Mr. McClain and I worked out a solution for that." The atmosphere seemed to spike with tenseness as Lotor narrowed his eyes and stared at Shiro, and Shiro stared him back.

Lance took in a sharp breath and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He said nothing, he knew that if he spoke out of turn, Lotor would likely get extremely upset. He glanced up at Shiro through his long eyelashes, noticing that he had a hostility in his eyes similar to Lotor's, and that both scared him and confused him. His stomach twisted even tighter as he thought about the fact that maybe Shiro was angry with him just like Lotor. Despite his defense of Lance's child against Lotor's cruel words, he couldn't help but be skeptical of Shiro's true opinion. Lance felt small, barely being able to breathe in this damn room, there was so much tension. He was being strangled with anxiety and fear for whatever was going to happen next. After a few minutes, he began to go into sensory overload. He couldn't handle the constant contact his disgusting husband was initiating, or the deafening silence in the room, or the fact that he couldn't breathe. But the thing was, he could do nothing about any of those things without getting in trouble. But it was too much. After a silent battle with himself, he moved his face to the side, away from Lotor's touch. He prayed to whatever god was out there that the action would go unnoticed, that he would be let off the hook. But when has that /ever/ happened for Lance? Never.

Lotor's eyes narrowed, not missing the way Lance turned away from him. No good. The useless omega was already enough of a pain at home; there was no way he'd let him humiliate him in public. Well, this was why he didn't let him out of the house much. He was just that incompetent. Lotor would have to punish him when they got home. "So you've worked something out, then? That's a relief to hear. I want to promise you that I also personally promise to make sure she doesn't slack off anymore."

Shiro's eyes narrowed even more. "The problem wasn't a matter of slacking off, but rather that she didn't seem to be getting enough sleep." He felt the need to be much more direct than when it had just been him and Lance. His words seemed to anger Lotor. "...what are you saying, Mr. Shirogane?" The look on his face made Shiro's stomach twist. He was generally a good judge of character, and he didn't like what he was seeing one bit. That said, he couldn't exactly go around making enemies for no reason. Again, he would have to lay low while trying to understand what their home life was like. "...nothing. I'm pleased to know that you'll help make sure Luna gets reasonable amounts of sleep, though. I hope I won't notice her being too tired to keep her eyes open in class again." Shiro's threat caused even more tension to seep into the air. Yes, it was a threat; one that said Shiro would know if Luna wasn't getting enough sleep. Shiro would know if something was going on.

A crushing fear hit Lance as he listened in on the conversation. This was not good. Lance began to tremble more visibly as the fear slowly took over the strangling. He still couldn't breathe properly, his breaths coming out in short puffs that he tried his hardest to keep quiet. 'Oh god,' he thought, his eyes burning. Lotor was gonna hurt his baby. He was going to hurt his baby daughter who wasn't even at fault for any of this. And Shiro, oh god, he looked furious. His face only showed a forced smile and the rest hostility, but Lance could see the anger in his dark eyes, and he was terrified. He felt like a caged animal, he was panicking and it was starting to show. He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself, trying to focus on his breath. Luna would be okay, she wouldn't be hurt, he would never allow that to happen. As long as he's alive, he was going to protect his children.

Shiro's eyes momentarily slid off of Lotor to Lance, who looked like a mouse in a cage of snakes. He was visibly trembling and sweating, and he honestly looked like he would cry any second now...was he that scared? Was it this sotuation scaring him that much? If so, Shiro didn't want to keep him here. He didn't want to keep Lance here in a situation that would deteriorate his health. "Well, it sounds like this conversation is over. It was a pleasure." Shiro held his prosthetic arm out to shake Lotor's hand, briefly glancing at the kids in his peripheral vision. "Indeed." Lotor shook his hand before turning to leave, gesturing for Lance to follow. Shiro nodded at Lance, still feeling sympathy, before he beckoned for Luna and Riley to come over to him quickly. "Here, kids. This is my phone number. I want you to contact me if anything bad ever happens, okay?"

Lance gave Shiro a weak, forced smile before he stood up with shaky legs, focusing on keeping his balance as he slowly trailed behind his husband, feeling anxious and broken. He waited at the door for his children, looking confused when Shiro seemed to be speaking with them. 

A worried frown was on Riley's face as he looked up at his teacher. "Is papa okay, Mr. Shirogane? What happened?" He asked quietly, taking the piece of paper and stuffing it in his pocket before his papa or sir could see. "What did Sir say to you?" This was possibly the most Riley had ever spoken to Shiro. He was clearly very worried over this entire situation. The poor baby, neither of them should have to go through this at only seven years old.

Shiro gave a reassuring smile and reached out to pat Riley and Luna on the head. "It's alright, don't worry. Just make sure you remember to use my number if you need to." Shiro wasn't actually sure how bad or not bad their life was at home. He didn't know what Lotor would and wouldn't do to Lance and the children, so this was the most he could do; reassure them and give them a way to get help.

Luna was nervous and terrified, but she nodded and stayed close to Riley. She didn't want to get her papa hurt...if he did get hurt, if anyone got hurt, it would probably be her fault...and she didn't want to get hurt, either. "Okay, Mr. Shirogane." She whispered. He nodded. "You should hurry and catch up with your parents now."

Riley nodded and took Luna's hand, tugging her along with him as they ran to their papa. 

Lance gave a weak, but genuine smile as his children ran toward him. He kneeled down to give them each a hug and a kiss before standing up and taking their hands on either side of him. He didn't walk out without one last glance at Mr. Shirogane, offering him another pain-filled smile before dissapearing into the hallway where he faced his husband, who was waiting impatiently for the three of them to catch up. He took a slow, deep breath before continuing to walk forward toward his husband.

Riley clung to his papa's arm as they walked closer to Sir. He was afraid of what he might do to them tonight, but he found comfort in the fact that he had Mr. Shirogane's phone number for emergencies. Emergencies like a couple of nights ago...he hoped that would never happen again. Hoped.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor is fired up after the meeting with his children's teacher and he takes it out on Lance. The twins are terrified for Lance's life, and they decide that they need the help of the only person who offered it before. Shiro received a call from the distraught twins and rushed his way over. What he found was much more extreme than he had ever expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: VERY graphic depictions of abuse and violence in this chapter. This is the worst it will get for a while. The abuse doesn't reach this intensity again until towards the end of the book. But yeah, please be prepared because this is really bad.

Lotor was completely out of patience after that cocky teacher attempted to threaten him. How dare he?! He had no right. Lotor was angry enough to kill. Laying hands on one of his children wouldn't work though- the school would see. There was only one body there that Lotor could take his anger out on. "Come." He lead them back to the car and started home, grip tightening around the wheel the more he thought about the meeting. Fuck. He was going to really need to let this loose. He wouldn't forget how Lance had flinched away from him either, being the stupid omega he was in public. The car ride was silent, and the moment they entered the house, he turned to Lance, rage burning brighter from looking at him. "Living room. You two," he turned to the kids. "Come with."

The car ride was agony for the young omega. His hands trembled as violently as his breathing, and the notice he took when Lotor gripped the steering wheel harder just made it worse. When they got home, he helped the children out of the car, giving them loving kisses and nuzzles before taking their hands and leading them into the hell they are expected to call home. Lance flinched when Lotor started giving orders, his breath catching when he told the children to follow. Lance was in no position to argue, so he stayed quiet for the moment. He held both the children's hands tightly as they made their way into the living room just like they were told. He was still shaking, finding himself wishing he was still at the school with his children. At least they were safe from harm there...

Riley was terrified. He held onto his papa's hand tightly, shaking with fear and nerves as they anticipated what came next. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Sir looked very very angry. He kept his mind on the little piece of paper in his pocket. Making sure to remind himself that Mr Shirogane was just a call away. He took a deep breath. Maybe everything will be okay.

Luna gripped her papa's hand in a desperate attempt to stop her shaking. She knew whatever was coming next, it wouldn't be good, and it would be her fault. They were lead into the living room, and when given permission to stop, she hugged her papa's waist and buried her face into his shirt, closing her eyes and wishing upon every star above that this night would end fast.

Lotor stopped and looked them over, finding it pathetic how the children thought Lance would protect them. He was the one hurting their lives, and yet they clung to him. "Stupid children...beginning to take after your mother. Perhaps you spend too much time together...if I want my children to grow properly, I'll have to be the one to raise you, hm?" It sounded like a drag, but Lotor would not allow his children to become useless and feeble like his omega.

Lance surprised everyone in the room with a low growl, glaring at Lotor with a weak and afraid, but quite motherly and hostile look in his eyes. He pushed his children behind him, keeping hold of their hands. "You will /not/ take my babies away from me." He growled, realizing at the back of his mind that he had made an awful mistake. He couldn't help it though, he was a mother. A mother that would happily die for his children. And with that look in his husband's eyes, Lance honestly feared that that was exactly what was going to happen tonight. He stood his ground none-the-less, keeping his children behind him and praying that whatever happens, Lotor won't lay a hand on them. 

Riley whimpered quietly when Sir threatened to take them away from his papa. The thought alone made Riley sick with fear. He held onto Lance's hand tightly and leaned toward his sister, trying to stay close to her as well. He wanted to protect them, he just wasn't strong enough..

A moment of silence passed through that room as a shadow grew over Lotor's face; one of which he had never had before. Every vein in his body pulsed with rage, and he took a few moments to let the rage fully build inside of him before taking action. "...you're a shitty omega." His pupils were dilated and significantly smaller than average from his sheer anger, and he took a step forward, not even laying hands on Lance yet. "You think you can protect your children? You think you're protecting them by talking to me that way? You're only going to get your third child killed." His murderous eyes danced down to Lance's stomach, and he grabbed his chin in his fingers, squeezing his cheek bones. "No, wait...that's, like, the one-hundredth child you just condemned to death." And then, in the blink of an eye, his knee was digging into Lance's stomach. 

Luna screamed and jumped away out of reflex and fear, clutching her face as tears immediately streamed down from what was happening and knowing this was because of her. She didn't let go of Riley for a second, though, as Sir attacked their papa.

Lance didn't get a change to react to his husbands words before the wind was completely knocked out of him. He stumbled back immediately, his arms instinctively moving to wrap around his stomach as he opened his mouth to gasp desperately for air. Tears didn't even have a chance to well up in his eyes before they were spilling and falling like a waterfall. He was terrified. He prayed in those seconds, and he prayed hard. He pleaded whoever was out there that his baby wasn't developing yet. That the child hadn't started growing. That there wasn't even a child at all. Because if there was, there wouldn't be for much longer. And it was all Lance's fault. He coughed and sobbed, still gasping for air. Everything hurt.

Riley hugged his sister close, crying into her shoulder. He tried to move them toward the wall, maybe behind the couch so sir wouldn't get them. He was so scared.

Lotor wasn't going to give the omega a moment to rest, moving forward and grabbing his hair. He yanked down harshly and threw him to the ground before slamming his heel into his stomach. He could just feel the damage he'd inflicted to the omega's rib cage. "You're trying to murder your children, is that it? I always suspected you were a psychopath. A creature like you shouldn't be allowed to have children; you're dangerous for them! You're the reason their life is so pathetically awful!" His heel came down on Lance's rib cage yet again, the feeling of bone against his foot even through the shirt doing some incredibly satisfying things for his rage.

Luna screamed and sobbed, cowering with her brother and unable to move much. Her hands covered her eyes so that she didn't need to watch, not that she would be able to see through the tears blurring her vision and the fear blurring her head.

The crack was loud in Lance's ears and the pain was blinding. He screamed at the top of his lungs, hurting his throat quite badly. He couldn't breathe, it hurt so much. "Please!" He screeched between desperate gasps. He was sobbing uncontrollably, barely able to move without feeling excruciating pain from his ribs. They were definitely broken, and Lotor was only getting started. 

Riley began to hyperventilate, trying to think straight. He had completely forgotten about the paper in his pocket, and he wouldn't remember until a bit later. Tears of fear covered his face as he watched in horror as his father was beaten mercilessly.

Lotor growled, feeling adrenaline building up within him. He loomed above Lance's body, glaring into his eyes with such anger and fury. "I've needed this...I've needed this so badly. At least you're good at letting me take my anger out." His foot rammed into Lance's face, first slamming his heel into his nose, and then kicking it like a soccer ball. At first he thought the liquid he felt on his foot was tears and snot, and at first it was, but it was quickly joined by the crimson red of blood. "You do this...to yourself...! It's all your fault! FUCK, you're so fucking stupid and useless! You can't even give me any living children, you kill every child of yours, are you trying to test me? Are you trying to see what it takes to make me kill your /living/ children, too?" His heel dug down into Lance's shoulder, and a dangerous cracking sound reverberated throughout the room so loudly even Lotor was momentarily shocked. Momentarily only, though. 

Luna's hands moved from her eyes to her ears as she turned to face the wall, shaking her head. "Stop, stop, stop, please!" She whisper-screamed to nobody in particular, unsure if she was praying or if she'd lost the hope to even pray at this point.

The level of pure agony the poor omega was in by this moment was unfathomable. He couldn't even scream. He felt so lightheaded from the shortage of breath and the pain mixed in. His blood and tears soaked into the carpet under him. This was worse than a couple of nights ago. This was worse than last year when Lotor broke Lance's arm. This was worse than each individual beating Lance relieved to finish off every child he carried. This was worse than anything Lance had ever experienced. His ribs were obviously broken, but now his nose and collar bone were most likely shattered as well. "P-p-Pleas-se!" He screamed in agony, choking on his own blood. Great, add a punctured lung to his list of injuries. This was it. This was when Lance would finally die. He would die protecting his babies from this awful man. No one aside from the two of them would remember his name. His parents hated him...they probably already forgot his name. His siblings were who-knows-where, living their own lives. In a few years, they'd probably not even remembered the name of their baby brother. Just that he was an omega, and that he was disgusting and useless. Not worth the memory. And Shiro..Shiro was the only person Lance had talked to in years aside from his children and his alpha. But he wouldn't put it past the man if he forgot Lance's name tomorrow. 

Lance knew his death would be unnoticed. Even Lotor would probably not even be phased by his absence. But... it was okay, because his babies would remember him...and they were the only ones that mattered to him.

Riley screamed when he heard the loud crack. His legs gave out on him and he dragged his sister right down with him. He sobbed and trembled, trying desperately to think of something to help. Then he remembered. The phone number. How could he be so stupid?! He sat up straight and set his hands on his sister's shoulders. "Luna!" he whispered, "T-The phone n-number-r!"

The fire within Lotor was growing with each passing second. He felt so alive getting to finally give Lance everything he deserved. He knelt down and straddled his chest, eyes burning into dull blue ones. "Please what? What are you begging for? An omega that can't provide children Is a useless omega, you know that. And if all you do is kill your own children...well, an omega like you doesn't deserve a family that you can't provide for. You've outlasted your purpose. I'm going to teach you a lesson." His hands grasped Lance's throat, and he began slowly applying pressure, wanting the suffocation to be gradual so he could draw this out and make it as painful as possible, so that the stupid omega would remember this lesson from beyond wherever he would end up by the end of this.

Luna was still sobbing, but desperation for her papa gave her the strength to frantically look around. "S-sir has a phone in his office!" She wasn't even sure if she actually spoke words; she could only hope she'd made sense as she fled the brutal living room scene with Riley in hand, not bothering to be discreet. Sir was too busy to pay them attention, anyways. It was a miracle she could navigate through her tears, but she somehow managed, leading Riley into Sir's office. It was the first time either of them had ever been in that part of their house. "R-riley!" She pointed at the phone on the desk.

Lance cried out when Lotor basically sat on his chest, the pain of his broken ribs and collarbone tearing through him. He tried to move, to get the alpha off of him, but he was too weak. He shook his head as Lotor spoke, squeezing his eyes shut and whispering genuine apologies. Not to Lotor, but to his children. All of his children, all of them that he murdered, all the way to his two beautiful babies that he got to spend seven whole years of his life with. He was so thankful for them, but he had been an awful mother, he believed what Lotor said. This was all his fault, and he deserved this fate. He didn't notice his children running out of the room, but was too focused taking in as much air as possible. 

Riley stumbled to the phone, sobbing as he pulled the paper out of his pocket. He couldn't possibly type the number fast enough. He was on sir's office chair, sitting on his knees with the large telephone pressed to his ear. 'Please pick up, please please please...' he begged in his mind. He had to pick up. He had to.

Lotor desperately wanted to let loose with his rage, to ring Lance's neck so hard his eyes would double in size and he would finally, finally stop being such a pain to Lotor. However, hearing him beg and plead and apologize was also music to Lotor's ears, and so he made sure to give him just enough air so that the useless body could continue using it to make out his final words.

Shiro kept his phone with him at all times, especially after giving it to the kids, since he knew it would be easier for them to call someone they knew than it was to call the cops. So when it started ringing while he was grading papers on his desk, he immediately held it to his ear. "Riley? Luna? Is everything okay?" For whatever reason, he had a bad feeling. The kids were smart; they wouldn't call for no reason.

"Mr Shiro!" Riley sobbed, clutching the phone desperately. "M-Mr S-Shiro please h-help us!" He couldn't seem to calm himself enough to make out the words he needed to say in order for Shiro to understand what was going on. "I-It's bad! Bad bad stuffs are h-happening a-a-and-" 

He was cut off by a loud scream that echoed through the house. Lotor had pushed down harder on Lance’s shattered collarbone. Lance was in so much pain. He sobbed and gasped for air, his head spinning and his vision blurring. Utter terror had finally broken him at this point. He really was dying, and there was nothing he could do about it. He choked and coughed up blood as he gasped, clawing desperately at Lotor's wrist, trying to free himself. "Pl-Please p-plea-se p-lease please...oh gods pl-ea-se.." he sobbed. He didn't want to leave his babies alone with this psychopath, but there was no debating how this would end as far as Lance knew. This was the end for him. "I-I love you!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, using up what little breath he had left. "Papa l-l-loves y-you!" He cried out desperately, hoping his babies could hear him. He would not go without saying those three important words. He had to tell them that he loved them.

Shiro had never left his house and started down the road in his car faster, able to hear the blood curdling screams in the background of the phone call. His heart beat fast in panic. "Riley, make sure he can't find you and stay on the phone with me. Once I'm there I'm going to need you to get to the door and unlock it for me. Everything is going to be okay, I'm coming." He bit his lower lip. What was going on in that house?

More fury seized Lotor upon hearing Lance still focusing on his children. "Why do you pretend to love them?!" He applied more pressure to his throat. "You're a disgrace, you know that? Fuck, once you're gone I'll just have to take my anger out on them...but I bet you don't care about that. You kill all your children, anyways."

Lance sobbed and choked on both the blood and the little air he had left. "N-No! Please!" He cried out desperately, clawing weakly at Lotor's wrist. "Don't hurt my babies..." he wheezed, tears flowing down his bloody face, blue eyes dull with panic and terror. "R-Riley..! Lun-a-a!" he coughed out, barely loud enough for his children to hear. He wasn't able to finish his call to them as the burning in his ribs increased. Lance cried in agony and fear as he slowly accepted his death. He would finally be free...but his babies wouldn't. No... He tried, tried so hard to fight back, screaming in pain and desperation. He couldn't leave his babies here with this monster. He couldn't! 

Riley whimpered and nodded, "Luna, shut the d-door and lock I-it!" He said quietly before going back to the phone. "I-I-I'm scared..." he whispered shakily into the phone, tears flowing from his eyes. "H-He was gonna hurt us, Mr. Shiro...b-but papa made him mad and he hit h-him f-first...I don't want papa to die!" His voice cracked as he let out a panicked sob. The poor baby was terrified.

Shiro gritted his teeth. He couldn't tell if Riley was exaggerating over Lance 'dying' or not, but the fact that there was some sort of abuse happening was clear. He was sure nothing would prepare him for just how bad the situation actually was, and so, he sped up his car. "Shhh, it's okay, I'm almost there, just focus on keeping yourselves safe until I get there." 

Lotor's nails began to dig into Lance's skin as he got more drunk on his rage with every second, unable to take a moment and consider that manslaughter might not be the best course of action right now. "I should've known it was suspicious of your family to give you up. At first I thought they were just desperate for my money and didn't care about you; I guess it's also because of how useless you are. I'll teach the kids better. My son will turn out right, unlike you. I'll whip and beat him into shape. And my daughter..." A growl rose in his throat. "...well, I'll have no use for her."

Lance weakly shook his head, whispering desperate "no's" between every cough and choke. "Please..not my babies..." he whimpered. Everything hurt more than Lance had ever experienced in his life, and his eyelids began to feel heavy. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't happen. Lance refused to allow himself to die like this. To abandon his children so selfishly. They were the only ones that he hadn't managed to destroy, and he would never allow that to change. He loved them more than anything in the universe. He let out a weak growl and forced himself up just enough to bare his teeth at his psychopath husband. He somehow managed to sink his sharp teeth into the flesh Lotor's arm, the most damage he had ever done to the man. It was a weak bite, but definitely still painful. Lance's entire body trembled with the giant mixture of emotion he was feeling, his eyes shining with both tears and pure anger. Lotor would /not/ take him away from his babies. He would not stand for it. He would never leave them without a fight..

Lotor growled in rage upon the teeth against his arm and immediately pulled back, not because it hurt, but because it pissed him off even more. The game just changed. "I see you want more pain before going out first." Lotor's fist slammed into Lance's jaw before he grabbed the nearest object, which just so happened to be the TV remote. He smashed the remote down onto Lance's face repeatedly, pupils dilating even more. Then, he grabbed a hold of Lance's wrist and began bending it until it was unnaturally far back, doing whatever he could to inflict the pain his omega deserved for trying to bite him. "You never were one to learn; that's why you brought this upon you and the stupid children." His head then perked up when he noticed they weren't there. "...I should beat them while you can still see." He began getting off of Lance to go find them.

Lance screamed as his wrist was broken, sobbing as the raging headache in his head was worsened as well. His eyes widened at the sudden loss of weight on his chest. Panic took over him as he saw Lotor walking away. Adrenaline allowed him to push to his feet and tackle- more like fall on top of Lotor. He bit him again, this time on the side of the neck. He bit down as hard as he could and shook his head like a dog to inflict more pain. He channeled all of his anger and terror into the bite, remembering all of those awful times that he was bitten like this. All of those times this was forced upon him. This was his payback, he hoped it hurt like hell. 

Riley and Luna were huddled together on Sir's desk, holding the phone close. "A-Are y-you almost here?? I-I think he's gonna g-get us..." Riley whimpered, shaking violently with fear. He would never forget this night. He was more terrified than he had ever been. He understood the seriousness of the situation. He understood what that look in Sir's eyes meant, and he did not like it.

Lotor howled in enraged pain and threw Lance against the nearest wall, tearing his neck away and pinning the smaller body there. His breaths were coming out in violent waves, and his vision was red with fury. "Fucking mutt!" He reversed the roles and bit down on Lance's shoulder as though he had the intention of biting through stone; all the while, he twisted Lance's wrist even more. His other hand started to strip Lance of his clothes, ripping them to pieces to expose bare bruised skin. The stupid mutt didn't deserve to be clothed when he was through with him.

Shiro's foot pressed down on the gas harder upon hearing Riley say he was coming for them. If that were the case...what was happening to Lance? "I'm coming, I'm almost there, I promise." As a teacher, he knew their address since it was needed when they signed papers for their children. He wasn't far off now. "Just hang on for 5 more minutes Riley."

Lance screamed loudly as he was thrown against the wall and bitten. He felt his flesh tearing, and his already broken wrist wasn't feeling any better either as it was twisted. He cried out each time Lotor moved, further tearing into his skin with his teeth. The fact that he was being stripped was barely even registered as the poor omega continued to drown in his own screams of agony. 

As their papa started screaming even more, Riley flinched and whimpered, "please hurry..." he whispered into the phone, burying his face in Luna's hair.

Lotor discarded the remains of Lance's clothes as torn shreds around them, pulling off and throwing him back to the ground. "If you want my attention so badly still, fine, I'll take it out on you." He dragged Lance by his hair to another wall and tossed him against it, spat on him, and stepped on him again, doing whatever he could to demean and damage him. 

Shiro's chest was pounding with adrenaline as he made it to their driveway and sped out of his car. "Riley, get to the door." He ordered, already clenching his prosthetic fist in preparation for what he would see. He hoped it wasn't nearly as bad as the kids were making it out to be...he hadn't called anyone or anything yet since he still wasn't sure of the severity of the situation.

Lance cried out again, sobbing and screaming as he was continuously tortured. His voice was almost gone, his screams more like hoarse squeaks now. He coughed up blood as Lotor continued to step on him, etc. Tears still fell from his eyes, but he was relieved that he could keep his husband away from his babies. Even if it was just for a bit longer. He panicked even more when he heard a door open and loud, fast footsteps through the kitchen. Suddenly, Lance spotted Riley run past the two of them, and panic rose in his chest. 'No...what is he doing??' 

Riley didn't hesitate when Mr. Shirogane told him to open the door. He handed the phone to Luna and pulled the door open, running through the house as fast as his little legs could take him. He ran past sir and papa, focusing on the door. Before Lotor could even react, the front door was open and Shiro was standing there. Riley cried in relief and rushed to hide behind Shiro, away from sir. Mr. Shirogane would make it better...he would save them.

Shiro stood in the doorway silently for a brief moment, taking in the situation with wide eyes. The scene before him was one he hadn't expected to see. He knew the children had been frantic, but this...this was...this wasn't just abuse. Lance was on the floor, blood all over his naked body as Lotor loomed above him, staring at Shiro with rage-filled eyes. Shiro let his own anger tense his muscles before walking in straight towards Lotor. "Get away from him." 

Lotor growled and opened his mouth to respond, but Shiro's fist had already slammed into his face, sending him lurching backwards. Without hesitation, Shiro sent another punch his way, prosthetic hand ramming into his unprepared gut and sending him crashing back into a couch. He then knelt down to inspect Lance. "Hey...are you okay? This doesn't look good..."

Lance stared up at Shiro with wide eyes. His breathing was extremely forced and his body was shaking violently. He had opened his mouth to speak after a few seconds, but just began to cough. He leaned to the side, crying with pain as he coughed up blood, tears falling from his eyes. It was clear that he wasn't okay, but he had no idea why Shiro was there. How Shiro was there. He didn't understand, and for a second, he feared that he was hallucinating, or maybe he was just dead already, dreaming up how he wanted this to end. But the pain along with the desperate gasps for breath told him that he was not dead yet. "W-Wha-What.. how.. a-a-are you--?" he couldn't manage to get the words out, he was shocked and terrified and he had no idea what to do anymore.

Shiro's face softened as he cupped Lance's cheek and looked him over. Not good. This was really not good. "I'm taking you to the hospital. This might hurt, bare with me, okay?" He started to lift him, but reflexes helped him dodge to the side as Lotor threw the TV remote and got back up, hair sprawled everywhere messily. "Step away from my omega. That's my property." He muttered. It was disgusting. It made Shiro sick to the stomach, and he let Lance lay there a while longer, stepping in front of him. "You can't own another person." He almost didn't even have the patience to try and reason with Lotor, and he lost the last of his patience when Lotor scoffed. 

"Omegas are made to please the alpha. They search for an alpha that can own them well and provide them with the discipline they require. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool of an alpha; no wonder you don't have an omega of your own." Shiro rushed Lotor in a heartbeat, not out of anger for the insult to his status as being single, but because he was demeaning Lance and all omegas as property. Shiro honestly didn't care if someone tried insulting him, but he couldn't stand hearing this psychopath talk about humans like cattle. Lotor rushed forward to meet him, but there was no contest. One moment they collided, and the next, Lotor was unconscious on the ground, bruised face already beginning to swell. 

Luna watched the whole thing while holding onto Riley, eyes wide and jaw parted as she watched Sir collapse to the floor. She had never felt so much relief in her life, and held onto Riley tighter as Mr. Shirogane knelt back down to pick Lance up.

Lance watched in complete shock and fear as Lotor fell limp on the ground. Shiro had done that so easily... Lance was always under the impression that Lotor was the strongest alpha. Mostly because that's what Lotor drilled into his head, demonstrated for him. But now...watching Lotor get knocked out so easily, it scared Lance, but not as much as it relieved him. He cried out in both pain and relief and let his head fall into his bruised arms on the ground. He jumped and whimpered when he felt Shiro try to pick him up. He didn't know what to do, was he safe? He felt safe, but he wasn't sure... "P-Please..." he whispered hoarsely. He shivered as the cold air of the room finally registered in his mind. The blood loss and pain as well as the fact that he was malnourished and just plain naked all played a part in his sudden chill. He let out a weak sob and rested his head in the crook of Shiro's neck. The poor thing was just desperate for the comfort and safety this alpha was giving off. "Please..." he whispered again, he didn't know what he was pleading for anymore, but it just kept coming out. The poor baby was a wreck, and he could feel himself fading away. 

Riley whimpered and pulled away from Luna, taking her hand and running over to Mr. Shiro and his papa. He didn't know what to say, he was still so scared. "W-What's gonna h-happen, Mr. Shiro...?"

Shiro took a deep breath, keeping Lance close. His gaze swept over the children and Lotor briefly before he started for the door. "Grab a towel from the kitchen and get in the back of my car. We're going to the hospital." He had to stay calm and in control in this situation, to give the kids and Lance some comfort. He went out and set Lance down in the back as Luna and Riley joined him. "Use the towel for the bleeding on his head. I know it's hard to look at, but you have to do this for your papa, okay?" He didn't want to make 7 year olds treat a bloody body, but there was no other choice as he got in the driver's seat and started up the car, leaving Lotor on the ground of their house. 

Luna gulped, but she and Riley followed his every command, getting in the back. She was the one who pressed the towel forward and slid it beneath her papa's head to soak the blood. Just looking at it made her cry more. "I'm so sorry papa...it's because of me, papa please be okay..."

Lance was struggling to breathe, but he willed himself to stay awake for his babies. He shook his head weakly as Luna spoke. "No...no, baby, this-- t-this is not your f-fault-t." he coughed, making a quiet whimpering noise. He looked at Riley who was sitting near his legs. He gave his little boy a weak, shaky smile and reached his cold trembling hand to brush his fingers against Riley's warm cheek. "D-Did you-u do this, b-baby?" He asked, his voice slowly getting quieter. It was getting harder to stay awake, but he tried so hard. 

Riley whimpered and gave a small nod. "B-Bad stuff was happening, papa...I-I didn't want s-sir to hurt you an-anymore s-so we called Mr. S-Shirogane." There was a small silence before the little boy let out a sob. "A-Are you mad at me, papa..?" 

A few tears slipped from Lance's eyes, a small smile on his split lips. He set a shaky hand on his son's cheek, "O-Of course n-not, mi amor...You s-saved us, my bra-ave boy..." his words were strained and his voice was fading, his eyes starting to close. "I-I love you both s-s-so much...papa...papa is so s-so so-sorry.." the last words were a whisper, his eyes fluttering closed. This was bad.

Shiro's heart ached just listening to the family talking; he could just hear their love for each other. It made him proud to have saved him...until Lance's voice drifted off. He risked a glance back before picking up his speed, knowing he had to hurry and get him some serious medical attention, but he also had to give damage control for the kids. "Riley, Luna, everything will be okay, we're almost there, just make sure he's still breathing and keep me updated on his status." Shiro was low-key freaking out, praying that Lance would hang in there.

Luna was sobbing, but she did her best to nod to Shiro's orders. "H-he...I don't know...papa..." She didn't know what to do, and she felt like she would make things worse if she touched him or anything, so she just stared and cried helplessly.

Riley sniffled and sobbed as well, looking down at his papa with fear in his eyes. He watched his father carefully, watching his chest rise and fall painfully slow. He shook with terror as he watched. It looked like it was getting slower, his breaths. He was panicking, and rightfully so. His father was dying directly in front of him. "P-Papa..." he whimpered, taking Lance's cold hand in his own and nuzzling his cheek against it, crying hard. "P-Please don't go, papa..." he whispered, shaking and trembling. He glanced up and out the window, hoping that the hospital was close...Lance didn't have much time, and both of his children knew it.

Shiro did his best to just focus on the road ahead, pushing the speed limit as much as he could. He wasn't normally one for reckless driving, but in this case, he could make an exception. Lotor was still just knocked out at the house, and Shiro would have to call the police to go get him, but right now he had to focus on this. Once Lance was in the hospital, then he'd take care of Lotor. He was confident he'd be in a coma for a good few hours, still, anyways. Shiro's prosthetic arm tended to have that effect. The drive was painful, since he had to listen to Riley and Luna's sobs and constant pleading, but that only pushed him more, and they finally arrived at the nearest hospital. "Kids, come on, everyone out." He ushered, parking and quickly picking Lance up bridal style. They rushed in to the front desk, and there wasn't much explaining that needed to be done since Lance was pretty badly beaten, bloody, and unconscious.

There was a small woman sitting behind the desk, seemingly focused on her computer until she heard the multiple rushed footsteps. She looked up, opening her mouth to address the customer, only to gasp, her hand over her mouth as she stood. "Oh my," she pushed the emergency button near her desk to call for ER nurses before moving around the desk and approaching the poor sight. "Oh, you poor thing..." she said softly, quickly examining the broken omega. She looked up at Shiro, "What happened to him?" She asked, gaining composure of her voice so she sounded more professional. 

Riley hid behind Shiro's leg as the woman approached, clinging to him with tears still streaming down his cheeks. He was so afraid of what was going to happen to his papa. He hoped that these people could help him. He looked over at Luna and stepped closer to her, grabbing her hand and sniffling quietly. He was scared, but he wanted to be strong for his sister.

Shiro reached around behind him to hold both of the kids close to his leg. "Assault." He told the woman, quickly rushing to meet the nurses halfway down the hallway and letting them handle Lance, setting him onto the stretcher. He then quickly crouched down and turned to both kids, putting his hands on their shoulders. "Everything will be okay, I promise, okay? You're safe now." Then, against his better judgement, he hugged them both close to his chest, just wanting to give them comfort of some sort. Strangely enough, holding them gave him comfort, too. He let them cry against him, only to remember Lotor. "Come on." He lead them to the waiting area and sat them down before dialling for the police to explain the situation. 

Luna was still trembling and crying, but she was beginning to feel a little better as she and Riley sat on either side of Shiro, hugging onto him.

Riley was exhausted, he sniffled and rested his head against Shiro's arm, still trying to control his little hiccups and sobs as he listened to what Shiro was saying on the phone. This was all happening so fast, Riley couldn't keep up. This was the scariest thing he had ever had to endure in his life, and it was surprising that the poor child hadn't had an anxiety attack already. Riley was always the most anxious of the two, the shyest, the quietest. He had anxiety attacks once in a while when everything seemed to get to be too much, which was exactly what was going on now. He wanted to be strong for his sister, but he couldn't get the thought out of his head: What if papa dies? This prevented him from calming his cries and regulating his breathing, the fear was just pumping in his veins and it wouldn't go away.

Once Shiro finished briefing the situation and giving the address to the police, he urged the kids up again and walked back to the front to discuss how long the operation would take, since it was dark out. They had 2 choices, and he'd leave it up to the kids. "Hey, Luna, Riley." He crouched back down to the two of them. "Your papa is gonna have to be at the hospital for a little while, but it's getting late. We can all miss school tomorrow since this is most important, but you still need to sleep. Want to go back to my place? Or do you want to wait and sleep here at the hospital?"

Luna held Riley's hand and rubbed at her face. "I...I wanna stay with papa..." She declared, voice still as shaky as ever.

Riley nodded immediately, sniffling and looking into Shiro's eyes. "Mhm.." He whimpered, "I don't wanna leave papa here..." he said softly, worried that his papa would wake up by himself and get scared. "W-Will you stay with us, Mr. Shiro...?" Riley was so afraid that Mr. Shiro might leave them now that he saved papa. He knew that he probably wouldn't, but the fear was still there. "I'm scared..."

Shiro's face softened in sympathy, and he held the children close. "Yeah, of course I'll stay. Don't worry, he's gonna be alright. He must be very strong to have put up with this for as long as he has." Shiro could only assume the abuse had been going on for a while. After all, an incident like tonight doesn't just happen out of the blue. It had to have been built up to by multiple accounts of abuse in the past. Neither Lance nor the children deserved this. Shiro wished he could say Lotor was just a psychopath, and while he definitely did seem to be a psychopath, the thought process that omegas should 'belong' to their alpha was one shared by a large portion of society. It made Shiro sad and sick...but right now, his main priority was Lance and the kids and getting them through this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least Shiro saved him from that demon of a man.


	8. Chapter 8

It was around 9am and the hospital waiting room was quite quiet. There wasn't very many people coming in and out other than nurses and doctors. The waiting room was quite nice, with colorful leather benches that the nurses allowed Shiro and the children to sleep on. Riley and Luna were curled up together, both of their heads laying on Shiro's lap comfortably. The poor babies were so tired, they barely lasted ten minutes after the nurses told Shiro that they could rest there. It had been around midnight when Lance was taken away into the emergency room. Now, at last, an alpha doctor with a tired look on his face walked into the waiting room with a clip board. "Uh, Shirogane?" He called, looking straight at Shiro because he was the only one in the waiting room. "You're here for Lance McClain, correct?"

Shiro blinked the tiredness out of his eyes upon hearing his name, immediately waking up completely. He was momentarily surprised upon feeling the kids sleeping on him, but quickly recalled everything that had happened. "Yes, that's me." He said, not moving yet so as not to wake the kids. He glanced at the clock and sucked in a deep breath. It was morning now, and that meant Lance's fare had been decided. He immediately straightened his back a bit. "Is...is he okay?" He was no doctor, but the wounds Lance had had looked pretty bad to him…

The doctor sighed and looked at Shiro. "He's in a lot of pain, and he won't be able to stand for a while, but he'll survive. His injuries were quite severe." He glanced down at the clip board once again before continuing. "His right wrist was practically shattered along with the right side of his collarbone, and he had two broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a broken nose. We took care of all of that, though, and the rest of the external damage like the stitches and bruises will be closely monitored throughout his stay here, which will be about a week if nothing goes wrong. The kid was quite beaten up, how did this happen?" He asked, finally giving Shiro a chance to speak. It didn't sound like Lance was doing too well, but the good news is that he would survive. 

Shiro sighed in relief, lightly stroking the children's heads to comfort them in their sleep. It all sounded incredibly painful, and Shiro was trying to decide how exactly be was going to manage this. He didn't know anything regarding Lance's family, so he'd have to ask him about that. "It was...domestic assault. He and these children went through quite a bit at the hands of a psychotic alpha. Are we allowed to go see him? Is he awake now?" Shiro had quite a few questions for Lance, not to mention the kids would want to see him.

The doctor nodded hesitantly, "Legally only family is allowed to visit patients for the first few days of recovery depending on the severity of the situation, especially if the patient is omega. But because he is here because of who I assume to have been his mated alpha, I suppose I can make an exception for you. He had just awoken when I left the room, the nurses were working on making him comfortable. He's quite out of it, and you'll need to make sure the children are gentle with him, he's in a lot of pain." The doctor lowered the clipboard so it was at his side before nodding at Shiro, I assume you are taking responsibility for the omega until a family member arrives, yes?" He asked expectantly. He continued to refer to Lance as "the omega" and by nothing else. It wasn't total discrimination, but it was certainly quite rude. 

Riley was beginning to wake up due to the conversation taking place around him. He made a little noise and moved a little but, cuddling his sister closer before opening his eyes a little bit. When he remembered where he was, he wanted to cry again. He didn't know if papa was okay, and that was scary. He sat up, slowly as to not wake up Luna, and looked at Shiro, rubbing his eyes. He didn't say anything, too afraid to interrupt the conversation between Mr. Shiro and the man that stood near them.

Shiro gave a curt nod. He always went out of his way to not refer to others by their biological 'status', and hearing it used so blatantly like this was disturbing, but he knew better than to disrespect a doctor. "Thank you. Yes. I will be taking responsibility." He sort of surprised himself by saying that, but he meant it. He noticed Riley waking up and smiled down at him reassuringly. "Morning, buddy. Did you wanna go see your papa?"

Luna stirred awake from hearing them talking, snuggling closer to Shiro for more warmth. When she noticed where she was, her head snapped up in alarm. "Papa! Is he...?" Shiro gave her a reassuring nod, too.

Riley's eyes lit up when Shiro mentioned going to see his papa. He looked so excited. "We can see him now??? Is he okay??" He looked at Shiro with big violet eyes full of hope with a background of fear. 

The doctor cleared his throat to catch their attention. "Your father is fine, children." he assured, "But we'd best get going, the first thing he said when he woke up is that he wanted to see his children." 

Riley looked excited, but he was still wary of the strange man that he didn't know. He knew that he was a doctor, but he was still afraid. After growing up with sir, the instinct to fear any adult was drilled into their heads.

Shiro nodded and stood up, holding each kid close and smiling as they clung to his waist. "Yeah. Come on, kids, let's go." He let the doctor lead them to Lance's room, holding his breath in anticipation at what they'd see. Hopefully Lance was feeling better. Again, there was a lot he needed to ask him, but the most important thing was reuniting him with the kids.

Luna kept close to Shiro, wanting to hurry but not wanting to rush ahead without her teacher or brother there with her. If they were going to see him, surely that meant he was okay, right?

The doctor lead them down a few different halls after going up a few floors in an elevator to the recovery unit. For Riley, it seemed like the walk took hours, though it was only a few minutes. Finally, after leading them through the halls, passing door after door, he finally stopped and turned to them. He looked directly at Shiro, seriously, "I will warn you, Mr. Shirogane, the omega is not in good shape, and he looks the part. He is very weak as well, try to keep him calm, and try not to overwhelm him. He is in a very fragile state right now. Also, I'd like to make sure that he gets a lot of rest, so I would appreciate if you could ensure that that happens? I will be off for the rest of the day, but of course there will be nurses around if you need them." 

Riley was growing impatient. He tugged on Shiro's hand and whined quietly, looking at him with pleading eyes. He wanted to go inside so badly. He just wanted to see his papa.

Shiro looked down at the tugging and placed his hand on Riley's shoulder comfortingly before looking back to the doctor. "Yes, of course." He hoped the children would be able to handle however bad Lance looked. "We'll keep the visit brief. Thank you for everything. Come on, kids." He lead them into the room, letting go of them so they could run forward. 

As soon as they entered the hospital room and saw him in the bed, Luna rushed forward with a cry of delight and sadness. "Be careful!" Shiro warned from behind her, slowing her down. Instead of jumping him, she stopped by the bedside to get a better look at him, gasping and tearing up when she saw how bad it was.

Lance was sitting up only slightly in the bed. He really did look awful, the poor thing had bandages all over the place. His nose was covered with a small brace, his wrist was too, and he had a light blue hospital robe on that was open slightly to show his heavily bandaged chest. Dark bruises covered most of his body and his eyes were bloodshot, tear stains on his cheeks. But when he heard the door open and saw his beautiful babies run toward him, he smiled weakly and moved his hand toward them a little before wincing, remembering that his wrist was broken. "Hello, niños." he said softly, his voice shaky and weak. 

Riley whimpered and stood at the side of the bed, scared to touch his papa. He didn't want to hurt him. "P-Papa...are you okay?" He said, sniffling a little. 

Lance smiled sadly at his son and brushed his cheek with his fingers lightly. "Yes, mi amor, papa is okay." He whispered.

Luna couldn't stop herself from breaking out into a full on sob fest, burying her face into the bed since she didn't want to touch and hurt her papa. "It's my fault papa! I'm so...sorry!" She cried out between hiccups, finding it difficult to speak amongst all the guilt she felt.

Shiro just stood by and let the family have their time together. He had questions and things that needed to be taken care of for this situation, but that could wait. It broke his heart seeing the family like this, so he decided he'd do what he could for them. Lance really did look awfully messed up, though...it was horrible, and it only fed into his anger towards that disgusting snake Lotor.

Lance let his tears fall too, but kept the weak smile on his face. He made a small cooing noise before using his good hand to scoot farther to one side of the small bed, biting his lip to suppress the pained noises. He didn't want to make Luna's guilt any worse. "Come here, both of you." He said sweetly. 

Riley immediately walked to the other side of the bed and climbed up, waiting patiently for his sister to come too. He was trying to be strong, and he knew that Luna needed papa's comfort more than he did right now.

Luna followed and wiped at her face furiously, all puffy-eyed. She was still afraid to touch her papa, not knowing what would hurt him and what wouldn't. She didn't want to hurt him anymore. "I'm sorry papa..." she repeated, sobbing becoming more quiet now, but just as guilt ridden.

Shiro found a chair against the wall and sat down so that he wasn't just standing by the door watching. He didn't know the full situation, but he could infer that Luna must've blame herself for this due to the meeting they'd had regarding her performance in school.

Lance touched his hand to her cheek lightly and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Now you stop that." he said softly, but stern. "Luna, listen to me. This is not your fault, baby. Neither of you are at fault for this. Everything is alright. I'm gonna be okay." He moved his hand from her cheek and held out his arm. They were sitting on the left side of the bed now, so they could touch Lance without hurting him too badly. "Come here, baby girl. It's okay to give me a hug, just not too tight." He was speaking so gently, he was giving out the comfort when he was the one that needed it the most. But he didn't notice that of course, he had been doing that for years. When Luna leaned into his embrace, he kissed her forehead, hugging her as tight as he could without hurting himself. "I love you, princess." he whispered to her, then looked at Riley with the same smile, "And I love you too, my little prince. I am so proud of both of you." 

Riley sniffled and crawled up to lay against Luna, cuddling his papa as best he could without hurting him. "I love you too, papa..." he whimpered.

Luna let her papa's words sink in, snuggling close and desperately seeking his warmth. "Okay papa...I love you too..." she whimpered, closing her eyes. She never wanted to let go of him again, and she'd never felt so relieved to be hugging him. He was okay...maybe everything would be okay. She hoped everything would be okay.

Shiro texted his boss, informing him that a family emergency had happened and thus he wouldn't make it for his class. One of the other staff members would have to substitute for him on short notice, but that was the least of his worries right now. The children were snuggled up to Lance as much as they could be, and the family of 3 just silently took solace in each other's safety until the children's breathing slowed down, and they were sleeping. It made sense; it'd been a very long night for them, and their sleep while with Shiro probably hadn't been too pleasant since they'd been worried about Lance. This was Shiro's chance to talk, though, so he put his phone away and walked to the bedside. "They're something else, huh."

Lance was staring down at his children lovingly. When Shiro spoke, he jumped a little, but looked up at him after. The young omega flashed Shiro one of his famous forced smiles and took a shallow breath, trying not to irritate his broken ribs. "Yes...they are." He said softly, looking down at them again and gently brushing a lock of hair out of Luna's face. There was a short silence before Lance spoke again, "Thank you, Mr. Shirogane." He looked up at Shiro again, "You saved my life, and theirs too. I can't thank you enough."

Shiro pulled a chair over so that he wasn't just standing there and seated himself beside Lance, watching the kids. "No, they saved you." He insisted, nodding at Riley and Luna with a smile. His hands clasped together in his lap, letting a brief wave of silence fall over them, before he took his phone out and offered it to Lance. "You should, uh..." He paused. "...is there anybody you need to call? A family member?" The more Shiro thought about it, the more he wondered why Lance had been dealing with Lotor on his own. It might've been best to assume the worst about the poor boy's family...but still, he had to ask, anyways. They needed to figure this situation out and work out how to handle it.

Lance hesitated for a long second, staring at the phone. His stomach twisted as he thought of his family. His parents...his sister, his brothers, they were likely living happily now. He couldn't call them. If he called them asking for help, his father would be angry with him. Angry with him for trying to escape Lotor in the first place, for being so weak and disobedient. His mother would be disappointed, and his siblings most likely wouldn't care. If he called, his parents would undoubtedly turn him back in to Lotor and clear any charges. They didn't care about Lance, all they cared about was their stupid "pride" and the money they got from Lance being married to a rich alpha of high status. "Um..." he voiced finally, shaking his head. "Thank you, but...no..I don't need to call anyone.." he said quietly, glancing up at Shiro for a split second before looking down at his lap again. He felt like crying, but he held it in expertly, just like he always has.

Shiro's face softened. He didn't need to press Lance for details; he understood, for the most part. He wasn't sure exactly what the problem was, but Lance couldn't call anyone and for now that was all he needed to know. "Hey...I'll pay for the medical bills, okay? And as for Lotor, I called the police last night to arrest him while he was still back at the house. I'll go check in with them eventually." Shiro could only assume Lance didn't have much money. There was no way Lotor ever let him have anything. "I'm not sure how long you'll be in here, but...if you want, the kids can stay at my place, too. That is, if you trust a stranger like me...I can bring them to school and take them to visit you after every day." He just wanted to do whatever he could to help Lance and the children. None of them deserved what they'd gotten so far in life.

Lance shook his head, feeling awful for getting Shiro involved in this mess. "Y-You don't have to do that! I can pay the bill myself..I mean once I get a job...a-and you've already done so much for me and my kids, I don't want to burden you with it any further..they can take the bus to school and back every day, and they can stay here..I-I hope..." he seemed to be thinking it over more now. He was completely lost now. He had no money whatsoever, no food, no place to go. He would have to live on the streets with his children until he could somehow find a job, which was an even bigger problem. Omegas didn't get jobs unless they had special family connections through companies. Omegas were expected to stay home, cook, clean, and bear children. That was an omega's job, and this society didn't believe that they deserved business jobs. It would be incredibly hard for Lance to find a job, especially considering he is now homeless. Tears burned his eyes and fell before he could even stop them. He didn't want his babies to grow up on the streets, all he wanted for them was to have a good life, but now he had gone and fucked everything up for them again. "I-I'm sorry, I..." he whispered, cutting himself off for no reason, he just didn't know what to say or to do. He was completely helpless and the realization both scared and embarrassed him to his very core.

Shiro's heart ached upon seeing Lance this way. He extended his hand to rest it against Lance's arm comfortingly. He knew it wouldn't be easy for Lance to accept his help, so he'd have to convince him into it. "Hey, it's okay...it's okay. I want to help. Let me help. At least do it for the children." For now, he would ask Lance to do it for the kids, since Shiro could give them a place to sleep and food. Then hopefully, over time, he would learn to accept Shiro's help...because Shiro really did want to help. Seeing someone so lost and without anybody else to turn to...that was something Shiro couldn't turn away from. Especially when none of this was Lance's fault. "Let me help you...at least for the children. And then, we can work things out from there. Okay?" He leaned a little closer and rubbed his thumb over the vein on Lance's wrist comfortingly. "You don't need to do this alone."

Lance bit his lip to keep from letting loose the built-up sobs that were making his throat ache. Everything was happening so fast and it was hitting him all at once. The poor thing was just terrified. "O-Okay..." he whispered shakily, his voice very quiet. He didn't know what to do, and he needed his children to be in a safe environment. Shiro was the only person Lance had in his life to trust, so that's what he did. He trusted Shiro with his life, and his children. He suddenly covered his mouth to quiet a sob that broke through the wall he was trying to build himself. And once that was out, he couldn't hold it back anymore. "I-I'm so sorry...I just...I--" his breath caught, causing him pain and sending him into a mild panic attack. Everything was coming back at the same time. The weight of the situation was suddenly crushing him, and all he could do to stop the flow of tears and sobs was cover his mouth. He didn't want to wake up his children, he tried hard to keep himself quiet, but it was so hard. The reality of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks and he was suddenly not able to keep his walls up no matter how hard he tried. He was just broken.

Shiro's face softened, and he scooted closer, massaging Lance's wrist. "Hey...it's okay...come on, you're hurting yourself by straining your muscles like that. There's nothing to be sorry for, none of this was your fault. I've only seen a fraction of it, but even I can see that you have nothing to apologize for." If his bones weren't so fragile and broken, Shiro would have hugged him to offer comfort, but for now, he just did whatever he could while making sure to let the children sleep peacefully. "It'll be okay. We can take this one step at a time. For now, you just need to try and get better, okay? Everything is going to be fine." He felt such sympathy for this broken boy and his children. He was so young, he must've given birth to the twins as soon as he was of legal age, and he'd already been forced to go through so much. Shiro wanted to lend his shoulder to cry on. He was going to help this family through this no matter what.

Lance began to hyperventilate, the pain in his ribs only making it worse. He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to take in air. "I-I-I can't! I-I've never b-been alone l-like this before a-and it's my f-fault this happened! I-I talked back to him a-and --and now you're i-involved and you don't e-even know us! You sh-shouldn't ha-have to take care of us! I-I-I should be able to...to...God I can't d-do this.." he gasped, still trying to be quiet, but it was very hard as he could barely breathe. "I can't do this, I-I don't know what to do! I-I can't call my parents! T-They'll just se-send me back...oh god..we can't go back there...h-he..I just can't...I can't.." the poor boy was about to pass out, the panic attack increasingly getting worse as he rambled on. Hot tears flowed over his bruised cheeks as he spoke rapidly, gasping for breath with every few words. He was a wreck. He had had panic attacks before, even before he was married off to Lotor, but naturally they worsened over the years spent with that man. Now, Lance's panic attacks were normal and often quite bad, but whenever he felt one coming on, he usually locked himself in a room somewhere and waited it out. He would get beaten if Lotor saw him during a panic attack, and he would only cause his babies worry. So he always just hid himself away. And that's what he was trying to do now, burying his face in his hands and muttering words a-mile-a-minute. This whole situation was going to be a hard thing to get through for sure.

Shiro had a brief moment of panic, not sure what to do since he couldn't really touch Lance. His hands reached out helplessly without touching him. "Lance...listen to me!" He grabbed his good wrist again gently. "It's okay, Lance...I'm here because I want to be involved. I won't just turn away, so you don't need to worry about me being involved. And you know..." he scooted closer, sighing. "You've done an amazing job already of taking care of your family. You don't have to go back to Lotor or anyone. Just take it slowly...just breathe. Breathe. You'll figure this out. I want to help you and the kids." They were already going a bit over the time the doctors wanted them spending with him, since Lance needed rest, but he couldn't leave him like this.

Unexpectedly, Lance moved his hand so that it was in Shiro's larger one. He squeezed the older man's hand tightly as he tried to calm himself. He slowly leaned toward Shiro, his head landing on the alpha's shoulder and resting there heavily as the boy cried. He cried there for a long time, trembling as he held onto Shiro's hand like a lifeline. "I'm so scared..." he whispered after a while, his eyes getting heavier from all the crying. "Please don't leave me..." he sounded like a scared child. Deep down, he really was. When he was sold away to marry Lotor at age 18, he was instantly forced to grow up. He was never allowed a smooth transition into adulthood, and by consequence of that, the poor thing was falling apart under the pressure now. He was always told what to do and how to do it by Lotor. But now, Lotor was gone. And as amazing as that fact was to Lance, it was also terrifying.

Shiro gasped inaudibly as Lance suddenly leaned into him, and his heart skipped a beat simply because he never engaged in physical contact like this with another adult, like, ever. He didn't mind it though. Lance seemed so small and fractured, and Shiro just wanted to help, so if this was helping, then so be it. He gently squeezed Lance's hand and shifted a bit so that his head could feel more comfortable against Shiro's shoulder. "...I'll help you. I promise." He risked a glance down at Lance, frowning at all the dry tears. He let go of Lance's hand to wipe at his face, sighing a bit as they shared body warmth. He figured the boy wouldn't seek help from a stranger in any normal circumstance. He must've been incredibly scared and desperate…

Lance felt butterflies in his stomach, a feeling unfamiliar to him. He felt warm too, he didn't want to pull away from Shiro, but he did. 'An omega shouldn't be clingy' Lotor's voice rang out in his head as he sat back slowly, trying not to hurt himself while also trying his best to take a deep, calming breath. "T-Thank you, Mr. Shirogane..." he said softly, "Thank you so much." His hand was still in Shiro's, but he didn't mind. In fact, he kept it there on purpose. He wanted the contact, needed the comfort. He had never found any comfort in anyone aside from his children, so this was new and foreign for him, but he needed it so badly. He didn't know how long it had been since the last time he trusted someone. This would be very hard, and he hoped that Shiro wouldn't hurt him or his children. He did feel quite safe with him, so he hoped that his instincts were correct.

Shiro rubbed his thumb over Lance's wrist comfortingly, smiling as he relaxed a bit. He couldn't even imagine the things Lance had been through. He knew it wouldn't be easy and that Lance was latching onto him as his final lifeline for his children's sake, but he genuinely wanted to help them, and he would prove it. In time. Right now, the most important things were settled, though. "Hey, you need to get some sleep. Resting your body is the only way you're going to get better. I have to talk to the doctors, and...I'll take the kids out for some breakfast. Mind telling me their favorite foods? They deserve something they like after all this..." Hopefully talking about his children would lighten Lance's mood. He would probably enjoy just talking about stuff like their favorite foods and telling Shiro how to take care of them while he was still healing.

Shiro was right, the change of subject from his panic attack to his children definitely brightened the young Cuban boy's face as well as calmed him down the rest of the way. He smiled softly and looked down at them, even letting out a breathy chuckle. "They /love/ ice cream," he began, but then looked up at Shiro with a stern look in his eyes, but the smile still gracing his face, "Although that is not a breakfast option, nor lunch, nor dinner. Be careful, they /will/ try to talk you into it. Especially Luna." He laughed weakly, wincing at the pain and squeezing Shiro's hand only slightly. When he composed himself, he loosened his grip and looked Shiro in the eyes as he spoke, "As for breakfast, they usually prefer pancakes, but I make them waffles on occasion, and they think that's a treat." he smiles fondly as he seems to fall deep into thought, "I remember one year, on their birthday, I made them a birthday waffle breakfast. They thought it was so amazing, because I gave them a bunch of toppings to choose from. I had it all, from butter and jam to chocolate chips." He sighed, "They loved that..."

Shiro listened in fascination, smiling upon seeing Lance being happier. He laughed along with him when he mentioned the ice cream thing. "Got it. Wow, sounds incredible...I can't cook to save myself, so I can't even begin to imagine what birthday waffles are like." He chuckled and squeezed Lance's hand more instinctively so that Lance wouldn't have to exert his strength to squeeze back. "Alright, I'll take them out to a breakfast joint and they can get pancakes or waffles or whichever they want." He sighed and looked down at the sleeping kids, hesitating to wake them up, and hesitating to leave Lance. But he knew he needed to rest, and Shiro needed to talk to the doctors. "We'll come visit later. I'll give the doctors my phone number so you can call whenever you're up and if you wanna talk to the kids over the phone or if you want us to come see you, I'll do whatever I can."

Lance smiled genuinely at Shiro, "Thank you so much. I don't even know what to say. You've done so much for my family already, I'm so sorry again for being such a burden..I will make it up to you somehow, Mr. Shirogane. I appreciate your kindness so much, and my children love you." He smiled down at them, "They always talked about you. They were never ones to make many friends at school, I'm not sure if they are disinterested or just genuinely introverted, but they seemed to have taken to you ever since they met you at the beginning of the year. You really are a great teacher and a great person. So thank you again, this means so much to me." He reluctantly removed his hand from Shiro's and used it to gently shake the children awake. "Wake up my angels." He sang very softly. 

Riley made a little noise and opened his tired eyes slowly. He reached up to rub them before rolling over and cuddling into Lance's side. 

Lance chuckled and tapped his son's forehead, "Riley, baby, it's time to wake up. You too, Luna. Mr. Shirogane is going to take you both out for breakfast. Are you hungry?"

Shiro's eyes widened upon learning that Luna and Riley apparently liked talking about him. Yeah, he had noticed they mostly stuck with talking to each other as opposed to their other classmates, thus why Shiro always made an effort to talk to them and encourage them to be more open. He definitely understood their reasons for not interacting with other students much now, though. Knowing they liked him made him happy, though, and he smiled as they rose like the sun.

Luna stretched a bit and stayed close to her papa and brother for warmth, but perked her head up at the mention of breakfast. "Food? With Mr. Shirogane?" She rubbed at her eyes and yawned, trying to get out the last of her tiredness.

"Yes, baby." Lance laughed a little, brushing her hair out a little with his fingers. "Now I want you two on your best behaviour, do you understand? Mr. Shirogane is doing a lot of nice things for us and I want you to be very polite and thankful." 

Riley sat up next to his papa, nodding seriously as if he were a soldier taking orders. Lance laughed internally, his little boy was so cute. "Now come here, niños." He held out his arms so they could both get closer and give him a gentle hug and kiss on the cheek. He kissed both of their foreheads before letting them go. He looked to Shiro and smiled softly, "Again, Mr. Shirogane, thank you so much."

Shiro watched their affectionate exchange with a smile, strangely excited to take the kids out. He returned the chair he was sitting on to its wall, before walking back to the bedside to let Luna and Riley finish up saying their goodbyes for now. "You can call me 'Shiro'." He said, thinking it was about time he let Lance call him by his nickname. 

Luna hugged her papa long and hard, not wanting to let go. Only once her stomach growled did she realize just how hungry she was, and so she pulled back. "We'll come see you again, papa. You'll still be here when we come back, right? You won't go anywhere? Sir is gone?"

Lance smiled sadly at his daughter, "Yes, mi amor. I will be right here when you get back. Nobody is gonna take me away from you two." He set a hand on Luna's cheek, looking at Riley as well. "I love you both, now you go have some fun, okay?" 

Riley smiled and slid off the bed, stretching a little before looking at Shiro and jumping up and down excitedly. "Where are we gonna go Mr. Shiro??" 

Lance smiled at Shiro and nodded at his request to call him by his nickname. He yawned, before shooing his daughter toward Shiro. "I'll be fine, baby. Go with them." He kissed her forehead and tapped her back a few times to get her to go. He didn't want to be alone, obviously, but he would be alright. He was glad to see his babies relaxing a bit around Shiro. They needed this.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro takes the kids out for breakfast and a movie while Lance recovers at the hospital.

Luna was still a bit reluctant, but she did as she was told and ran towards Shiro and her brother, smiling at Riley's excitement. Her papa's cooking would always be the best, obviously, but it was fun going out to eat. 

Shiro chuckled and ruffled both of their hairs. "Come on, you'll see." They exchanged their final farewells with Lance before exiting the room. Shiro quickly found the nearest doctor and informed them that he would be paying for the emergency operation they'd performed last night, as well as the rest of the medical bills; working through the details with them and giving his information, including his phone number of course, and made sure they knew to let Lance call him for anything. After all the business was taken care of, he finally took the kids out to his car. "After breakfast, we can go do more stuff." He offered, mentally scolding himself for not asking Lance what else the kids enjoyed doing.

Riley climbed into the car and sat down, immediately pulling his seatbelt on and smiling big at Shiro. "Really?? Like what?" He asked excitedly. Luna and Riley rarely ever got to do anything aside from go shopping with papa or get ice cream every once in a while. They didn't know anything about anything else to do, so Shiro was sort of on his own for that one. The kids were so excited, Riley bouncing in his seat as he watched out the window as things passed by quickly. He seemed much more lively now that he knew Lance was alright. 

Shiro puffed out air, deep in thought as they drove down the freeway. He was around kids a lot, so he knew in general things kids would like. "I think a new animated kid's film just dropped last week. Wanna go see it together in the theaters? Then, you can tell your dad all about it when we go visit him again." He offered.

Luna's eyes widened and sparkles at that. She got to watch TV sometimes with Riley whenever Sir wasn't home, but they'd never gone to a movie theater before. They'd never been anywhere near a place with such big screens. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" She exclaimed, bouncing in her seat and looking at her brother excitedly.

Riley didn't even know what to say, he was so excited. He absolutely adored movies, and his favorite memories were when when he got to watch one with Luna and papa. Movies were one of the only things in Riley's life that calmed him down, aside from papa. He loved them. So naturally, he was more than okay with the idea. "Yay!!" He squealed, kicking his feet in excitement. He gasped, mid-squeal. "Mr. Shirogane can we get popcorn?!" he asked with big eyes and a smile. He was so excited. He had always seen advertisements and such of people watching movies and eating popcorn, but papa was never able to buy them popcorn. He only got to buy what Sir liked. Riley had always wanted to try popcorn, especially with a movie.

Shiro's heart ached a little upon hearing the excitement in the children's voices that suggested this was new to them. The poor things had been stripped of a normal childhood...well, no more. Shiro wanted to do whatever he could to help give them a normal life. "We can get whatever you want! Popcorn, nachos, all of it! Oh, but your dad might not like you having all that junk food, so maybe we'll just stick to popcorn." He chuckled. Yes, Shiro would do whatever he could to make these children, this entire family, happy again. It broke his heart seeing kids stripped of their childhood, and even Lance was stripped of a normal life, forced to become a parent as soon as he was legal. 

They arrived at IHOP, which Shiro could only assume they'd never been to before, and lead them inside. "Here, you'll find the best pancakss, waffles, crepes, just the best breakfast in general! Come on, you can order whatever you'd like."

Riley cheered and hopped up and down, holding onto Shiro's hand as he looked around the restaurant. There were so many people! And so much food, it looked so fun! He smiled big at Luna and looked toward the woman standing behind a wooden podium in front of them. The woman smiled at them, her red lipstick shining a little in the light as she did. 

"Well hello there, darlings!" She said sweetly, stepping out from behind the podium and bending down a little to be closer to their height. After acknowledging the children, she stood back up and smiled at Shiro too. "Table for three, sir?" She asked politely, grabbing two kid's menus and one adult menu.

Shiro held both of the kid's hands to make sure they didn't wander off or get lost or anything and smiled back at the woman. "Yes, that'd be great, thank you!" He said. He couldn't help but feel his insides warm up as he watched Luna and Riley looking around and taking in the place with awe and excitement. They were taken to their table, where he sat across from Luna and Riley to have an eye on them at all times. They were both gushing over the pictures in the menu and constantly asking Shiro what certain things were. It was honestly so cute, and yes, he was doing this for the kids and Lance, but surely there was no harm in enjoying spending time with the kids? That was why he was a teacher, after all; because he enjoyed being around and guiding children.

Riley and Luna were both excitedly scanning the menu, reading through the items to the best if their abilities. Being second graders, they knew how to read, but many words still stumped them. Riley had a slight problem with comprehension, but that was okay, Shiro often helped him with it. He squinted at one of the item under the "Drinks" category. "Mr. Shiro..? Can I get hot chocolate?" He asked shyly. Hot chocolate was his favorite drink, but he only ever got it on his birthday, since Lance got in trouble for buying anything that was just for him or the kids. It was a very special part of his birthday breakfast and he hadn't tasted it in so long. He gave Shiro an innocent look as he awaited a response.

Shiro smiled at Riley and gave a small, encouraging nod. "Alright, hot chocolate it is." He liked learning what sort of things they liked and wanted to commit them to memory. After all, he may be sheltering them for a while while Lance was recovering. In that case... "Tell you what, kids. When we aren't in school, you can drop the 'mister'. Call me Shiro."

Luna's eyes sparkled at that. Mr. Shirogane, or just Shiro, now, had always been her most favorite teacher she'd ever had. He was so nice and helpful, and she liked spending time with him. "Okay! I want waffles, Shiro! Waffles!" They only ever got waffles for more special occasions, and right now, comfort food sounded delicious. He chuckled and accepted all their demands.

Riley decided that he would also order waffles. Strawberry waffles, to be exact. The same woman that seated them returned a few minutes later with a notepad. "Hi, I'm Plaxum and I will be your server today. You can call me whatever you'd like though, I know that my name is silly." She smiled at the kids. "Now, what can I get you three on this fine morning, Hm? Would you like to start out with some drinks?" 

Riley was too shy to speak for himself, so he slumped down into the booth and looked to Shiro for help.

Shiro shut his menu and smiled politely at her. "That would be great, thank you! We'd like one hot chocolate, a coffee, no cream please, and..." He glanced over at Luna to see her just pointing at the regular skim milk. "A glass of milk, please."

Luna swung her legs beneath the table, smiling to herself in happiness as Shiro ordered for them. They didn't get to do this too often, and they'd certainly never gone out to eat for breakfast of all things since Sir was there every morning making papa cook for them in the mornings. This was fun and exciting. As she swung her legs, she accidentally bumped them against Riley's foot, and she giggled, trying to bump his foot with hers more beneath the table discreetly.

Riley jumped as he was kicked. It didn't hurt, just caught him off guard. He looked forward across the table to Luna and gave her a mischievous smile, leaning down in the seat to try to reach her too, swinging his legs and giggling along with his sister. 

The woman smiled and nodded, "That will be right up for you, sir. Would you like whipped cream on the hot chocolate?" She looked straight at Shiro, as she didn't know who the hot chocolate was for.

Shiro cast a glance at Riley, but he could tell the kids were too busy playing with each other to pay attention, and honestly, it made his heart warm a bit. "No thank you." Better to play it safe. If Riley decided he did want whipped cream, Shiro was more than happy to just get him a new one. The kids would probably be able to convince Shiro to empty out all his money on whatever they wanted today.

Luna gasped and started fighting back with more determination, trying to contain her laughs in hopes that they wouldn't get caught.

The waitress smiled at him, then the kids before walking away. 

Riley squealed and laughed, covering his mouth to keep himself quiet. His violet eyes sparkling as he kicked his sister under the table. He made sure to be gentle as to not hurt his sister. He glanced at Shiro for a few seconds before continuing to play around with her.

The kids seemed to think they were being discreet, but Shiro could clearly see what was going on here. He smiled and leaned his elbow onto the table, watching them with false suspicion. "What're you two doing? Behaving yourselves I hope?" His voice was more teasing than authoritative, so that they would know he wasn't being serious or scolding or anything.

Luna held back a giggle, still footsying with Riley as they discovered for the first time how marvelous it was to play beneath the table of a public place. "Nothiiiiing!" She said innocently, comforted by Shiro's happy face. He may have thought he was being discreet, but she knew he was trying to be funny.

Riley giggled and shook his head, looking at Shiro while wrinkling his nose, "Nothing going on heeere!" There was a big, mischievous smile on his face. Even though the two weren't doing anything bad, they still thought they were being mischievous in some way. 

Plaxum soon returned with a tray, she smiled at the children animatedly and picked up the cup of hot chocolate, "Who ordered the hot chocolate? Was it one of you cuties?" 

Riley squealed and stopped kicking, raising his hand high like he was in school. "Me me me!" He said excitedly. The waitress laughed softly and set the cup in front if him. "Now be careful, love. It's very hot still." She warned before picking up the milk, which she put in a kid's cup instead of a glass. "Hm, and who ordered the milk?"

Shiro chuckled as he watched the kids interacting with the waitress, shouting and getting all excited as they reached for their cups. He kept an eye on Riley in particular, knowing it wouldn't matter how badly injured Lance was; he would still successfully remove Shiro's head from his body if Riley got a burnt tongue. "Careful kids!" He cautioned, smiling and accepting his coffee from the woman with a polite nod at her. He made a mental note to leave a generous tip behind for her as thanks for being so kind with the kids on their first time out, for breakfast at least.

Luna was starry eyed in wonder, holding the cup in both hands and looking it over like an item of infinite value. "I've never seen a cup like this!" She exclaimed, showing off to Riley.

Riley's eyes lit up with curiosity and he leaned forward to see the cup better. He nearly knocked over the cup of hot chocolate in front of him in the process, which unfortunately was not in a kid's cup, but did have a straw. He didn't pay any attention, however. He just continued to inspect Luna's new cup. "It's so cool!" He squealed. He looked at Shiro innocently, "Can I have one of those too, Shiro?" He asked with a small pout.

Shiro quickly reached out, grabbing a hold of the cup of hot chocolate with his prosthetic arm so that he wouldn't run the risk of any burns if the exterior of the cup was too hot or if it spilled or anything. "Careful, Riley! You have to be careful, hun. It's hot."

Luna's eyes widened a bit upon seeing Shiro's prosthetic arm in action. Obviously she'd seen it her entire time as his student, but they'd been informed early on by Shiro himself to not question it too much. He always gave the same silly answer; that he was born part cyborg. Honestly, Luna was inclined to believe a part of that, because it was cool and Shiro was cool so it just made sense, but a part of her always thought there were more reasons for his arm. Maybe it was so he didn't have to worry about hot cups. Either way, she didn't need to think about it now as she let Shiro 'scold' Riley while sipping her milk.

Riley looked startled, having not realized that he almost knocked it over. He looked at Shiro guiltily, "I'm sorry, Shiro, I didn't mean to almost knock it down.." 

Plaxum interrupted their talk as she approached the table with their food. "Alrighty loves, order up!" She smiled sweetly.

Shiro's brows furrowed and his eyes softened upon seeing Riley's dejected face, so he decides to make it up to him. "Hey, order anything you want. Right now, go on! Anything!" Shiro urged, not even considering the fact that he was 100% coming across as a doting father right now for them. He was just focused on making the kids smile and keeping smiles on their faces all day.

Luna bounced with glee flipped through the menu, coming to her plate of chocolate chip waffles she wanted so much to go with her milk. "These!" She exclaimed, looking at Shiro and pointing. He nodded at the pretty waitress lady.

Riley happily searched the menu until.he came across the strawberry waffles once again. He pointed to them, giving the waitress a shy smile. “May I have these…?” he asked nervously, looking up at the waitress. 

She smiled and nodded, "Of course, sweetie. She wrote down their order on her notepad and looked to Shiro with her small smile, "And what is dad gonna get?" She said cheerfully, absolutely oblivious to the fact that Shiro was not actually their father.

Shiro's cheeks lit up a bit upon hearing himself referred to as 'dad', suddenly thrown for a loop and becoming even less able to order for himself than Riley or Luna. "I..." He stuttered, messily flipping through the menu. "Um...right..." The kids were clearly amused by him, not to mention the waitress must've thought he looked dumb, so he saved himself the trouble and shut the menu. "J-just coffee works for me." He assured, coughing awkwardly to end his sentence.

Luna was giggling 'silently' to Riley, but then again, everyone present was giggling at Shiro. She didn't really understand what was wrong with him, not even catching on to the 'dad' thing. She honestly assumed he was flustered by the waitress's beauty and found it hilarious and sweet.

Plaxum laughed a little, but didn't question it. She gave him a nod, "Alright then, just call for me if you change your mind. Chocolate chip and strawberry waffles coming up." She said happily, collecting the menus before walking away. 

Riley was giggling along with Luna. "You're acting silly, Shiro." he pointed out, sitting up on his knees and poking Shiro's cheek.

Shiro's heart melted a bit as Riley poked his cheek. It was an action that you wouldn't exactly do with someone that you only trusted as a teacher. It was more familiar, and he liked that. These kids were going to make his face crack with smiles. "Be sure to blow on the hot chocolate before you drink it. And Luna, be careful with the milk, stains won't come off easily."

Luna sipped at her milk and tilted her head, swinging her legs beneath the table still. "Okay!" Having Shiro telling them all these cautionary things reminded her of their papa saying things like for them not to talk to strangers and to always look both ways before crossing a road. It was funny how similar it was. She still missed her papa, but she was going to do her best to have as much fun as possible. That way, when they went back to him, she would have more to tell him about.

Riley took Shiro's words to heart and focused hard on blowing away the steam rising from his cup. 

It wasn't long before Plaxum returned with their food, setting the plates on the table in front of the children with a sweet smile. "There you go, sweethearts. Now, are you sure coffee is all you need, sir?" she asked Shiro, tilting her head to the side. 

Riley's eyes lit up when the waffles were set in front of him. He squealed in excitement and reached across the table for a fork. "Thank you!" He gave her a big smile before stabbing his fork into the food eagerly. He hadn't had waffles in a long long time, and he was very excited.

"Careful! The waffles could be hot!" Shiro cautioned, rising from his seat a bit to hold out his hand in warning to the children. He cleared his throat and awkwardly turned back to the waitress, lowering himself back into his seat. "Oh, yes, I'm sure. This is fine, thank you! We came here for the kids to enjoy breakfast here, so," he chuckled sheepishly.

Luna dipped her palm as close as she dared to her waffles, trying to get a feel for how hot they were while blowing on them. They weren't steaming at all or anything, so she cautiously poked them and found they were hot, but not scorching, and began cutting into it, nodding for her brother that it was okay, she'd checked for them. She then turned to the waitress, wanting to mirror Shiro. "Thank you!" She chorused.

Plaxum smiled and laughed a little, "Well, it was my pleasure. You guys are such sweetie pies. You sure are lucky to have these cuties, sir. I hope that your breakfast is great, and if it isn't, just give me a call, okay?" She was so sweet. 

Riley liked her. He smiled at her again, his mouth full of food. Plaxum laughed, "Keep your mouth shut while you're eating, sweetheart." she reminded. "As I said before, I hope your food is good. I'll be back with the check in a little bit." She said cheerfully before leaving.

Shiro nodded, returning her smile before breathing in the scent of his dark coffee and keeping a close eye on the kids as they ate. If something went wrong and they choked, if even the slightest thing went poorly, Lance would kill him, and he was pretty attentive to taking care of kids in general anyways.

Luna waved at the pretty waitress before focusing back on her waffles, savoring the sweet pastry taste along with her milk. "It's been so long!" She exclaimed to Riley, excited to tell their papa about this, and then the movie that would come afterwards.

The kids happily enjoyed their waffles, talking every once in a while about the movie or about Lance. They both missed their papa a lot, and wished that he was here with them. They told Shiro fun stories about their papa, but they always seemed to have a darker ending that would just end the story abruptly as it was mentioned. 

As the kids were finishing up their food, Shiro's phone began to ring. Plaxum had returned seconds earlier, opening her mouth to talk, but was interrupted by the ringtone.

Shiro checked his phone, eyes widening when he saw the number. "Just a moment, it's important." He said, holding a quick finger to Plaxum before bringing the phone to his ear. "Hello?" He listened to the other line, brows creasing in disturbance. They'd received news on Lotor. He briefly glanced at the kids and sighed. He'd really wanted to show them a movie theater, but they'd have to make due some other time. "Thank you. I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up and politely accepted the bill from Plaxum before turning to the kids. "Kids, small change of plans. We're gonna go visit your dad again, okay? I think he misses you." Shiro chuckled, lips pursed together. He didn't want to worry them.

Riley smiled happily and nodded. "I miss papa too! Did he talk on the phone to you? Is he okay?" His words were slightly worried at the end, but still excited that he could see his papa again. He remembered that they planned to go to the movie theatre though, and his face fell a little. "But do we still get to watch a movie, Shiro?" He asked with a little pout.

Plaxum smiled softly and set the check on the table, "I hope you have a good day, sweethearts. Maybe I'll get to see you again sometime?" She smiled at Shiro, "I'd love to meet the whole family sometime, sir. You really do have lovely children."

Shiro sputtered a bit as they were called his children, at the mention that this was his family. "No, it's not..." He mumbled, scrambling his words at the end with a sigh. He was a mess, so he didn't bother finishing his correction. "Thank you..." He turned to Riley. "I do owe you that promise...maybe we can go again some other time. How about for now we pick up a movie on our way to the hospital?"

Luna swung out of her seat with a smile. "Pick up a movie? And then we can show papa that we're gonna watch it!"

Shiro smiled as he readied his wallet to leave behind his tip for Plaxum and used his card for the bill. "Yeah..." He was still unsure what they needed to tell him. Hopefully it was all good news.

Plaxum excused herself with the card, going to run it so she could return it as soon as possible. She did so quickly and came back in no time, handing Shiro his card and wishing them all a good day one last time. 

Riley took Shiro's hand as they walked out of the restaurant. There were a lot of bigger people around and he was wary of walking without a sense of safety. He felt very safe with Shiro, and he hoped that he would keep helping them through this bad situation.

Shiro thanked Plaxum, wishing her a good day as well before leading the kids out, keeping them both close until they were back to his car. "I hope you had fun. We can tell your dad all about what it was like." He pulled out and headed towards the hospital, smiling to himself as the kids chatted to each other excitedly about having gotten to eat out for breakfast. They still had to stop and pick out a movie on their way; he wasn't forgetting about that. He was looking forward to having some extra company...

Luna was gushing with excitement. She was a little sad that they wouldn't get to go to a theater, and she was curious and worried for her papa, but she was looking forward to at least getting a movie, and she did want to see her papa, too. She wanted to tell him about everything.

Riley was sitting on the edge of his seat in the car, kicking his legs happily. "Mr. Shiro! We should get a movie that papa likes just in case he wants to watch with us!" He suggested as he looked out the window. He was very excited to see Papa, and tell him about their breakfast experience. He wished that papa could have come with them, but he knew that he needed to rest and get better. Then, he had a thought. "Are we gonna stay at your house, Shiro?" He asked curiously. He didn't want to go back to his old house, but there was no where else to go if Shiro didn't let them stay with him. He began to worry. What were they gonna do?

Shiro looked up thoughtfully. "Sure! I don't know what he likes so you kids have all the power. You can pick whatever you want!" They were getting closer to the movie store, and Shiro agreed that they get something Lance might like in case. Anything to make him feel better. He briefly glanced back at Riley's question with a smile. "Don't worry kid. Your dad and I talked while you two slept. You can stay at my place and I'll take you to school so you don't have to miss out on learning." He frowned a bit as he remembered Lance's anxiousness during that entire talk. He knew Lance still felt guilty, and was only going along with it so that his kids didn't have to live on the street. Hopefully Shiro could convince him to not feel bad about letting him help them.

"Yaaay!" He squealed, looking at Luna with big eyes. They would get to stay with Shiro! He was very excited. Now all they needed to do was choose a movie that papa liked, and then they could go see him! "What movie do you think papa would like?" He asked Luna, trying to remember what types of movies papa has watched with them at home. They didn't get to watch them very often at all, so he wasn't quite sure.

Luna pursed her lips together and thought long and hard. She knew their papa always just watched whatever they watched; he never chose things that only he liked. However, there were things they watched he seemed to be more invested into. "Papa likes things about the ocean. I remember the first time we watched Finding Nemo!" She giggled at the memory.

Shiro grinned a little to himself. He didn't know him very well, but he could totally imagine Lance getting emotional about Nemo's dad going through such hell to try and rescue his baby. It was a really cute thought, and he liked knowing that Lance liked ocean-related things.

Riley tried to remember what has sister was talking about, but it took a minute. Then, his eyes lit up and he started to giggle as well. "Oh yeah! He loves that movie! Shiro, we should get that one!" He exclaimed, still sitting at the edge of the leather seat in the car.

They pulled into the parking lot of the store, and Shiro grinned at the kids. "If you say so! Come on, let's make this quick."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SHIRO received some bad news that he needs to tell Lance. He and Lance are getting closer, though. And he seems to be a helpful support for the traumatized omega as well as his children.

They certainly made it quick; just in and out. Honestly, it'd been quite a while since Shiro had last sat down to watch a kid's movie, and he loved seeing the kids getting all excited. He was excited for them too, but he couldn't forget that the hospital had 'news' for him. He was still anxious all the way to the hospital as Luna and Riley marveled at the movie cover.

"Come on." Shiro kept the kids close as they entered the hospital and checked in with the lady at the front. They were sat down in the waiting room, waiting for whoever needed to speak to Shiro.

The same doctor that had talked to him a few days prior, was the one to come out and call his name. "First order of business, Mr. Shirogane," the man began, "I have a few mandatory questions. Things to clear up. First, do these children belong to you or the omega?" He glanced to the children for reference before looking back at Shiro.

Shiro glanced back at them briefly before standing up. "The children are Mr. McClain's. I'm a family friend." His palms were getting sweaty, nervous for what they had to tell him. He also wanted to go see Lance, to make sure he was okay. He knew the kids were anxious, too.

"I see." The doctor sighed. "I hate to ask, but is there anyone you know that can watch over the kids for a bit? This may take a while, and I highly suggest that they do not hear it unless the omega decides to tell them. If there isn't anyone, I can have a nurse watch over them for a while if that's alright. It won't take all day, and they'll be very safe in our care.

Shiro glanced back at the kids, protectiveness already quickly seizing him, but if it was best they didn't hear then so be it. That couldn't be good. He nodded. "Having a nurse watch over them is fine." He quickly bent down towards the kids and patted both of their heads. "I'll be right back. A nice nurse is gonna be here with you, you can trust her, the people here are very kind. Be good." He then went off with the doctor so they could discuss more.

Luna's stomach twisted in nervousness, but she did her best to be brave and nodded at Shiro, holding Riley's hand. She didn't realize how scary it was to not be around her papa or Shiro.

The doctor walked away with Shiro after asking one of the nurses to watch over the kids. "I am sorry to have taken you away from your day, Mr. Shirogane, but this is quite important. I regret to inform you that we were not able to apprehend the omega's abusive mate. Police arrived at the house not too long after you made the call, but there was no one in the house."

Shiro's heart dropped into his stomach, and he gritted his teeth together nervously. That shouldn't be possible, he hit Lotor with his prosthetic arm. The man should've been borderline comatosed...maybe it was Shiro's fault for not calling the police until they arrived at the hospital, but he'd been on high adrenaline. Lotor must've lucked out by waking up earlier...but saying all this to the doctor wouldn't mean anything. "I see...does Mr. McClain know?" The thought that Lotor, a man that had emotionally and physically abused his mate to the point where Lance was hospitalized was still out there was disturbing to him. It would probably be devastating for Lance.

The doctor stopped walking. They were close to Lance's room now. "No," he sighed. "Unfortunately, there was a minor incident while you were out. The omega had managed to fall asleep after a while, but he woke up screaming soon after. It took a room full of psychiatric nurses and a small dose of sedatives to calm him down. He's alright physically at the moment, his broken bones healing well. His mentality, however, is an entirely different story. We've assigned him an in-hospital therapist to visit him a couple of times throughout the week, and I've prescribed him some sleeping pills strong enough to hold off the nightmares, but we've yet to try them out. He refuses to rest. And this news on top of it all, the therapist has decided that we should not tell him without any trusted support systems around him. Now, is there anyone we should call before giving him the news? Anyone he feels safe with? Family members?"

Shiro's lips pursed at that, sympathy and sorrow for Lance pulsing with each heartbeat. He stared ahead at the door to Lance's room, remembering the way he had clung to Shiro, someone he barely knew, just earlier when he'd first woken up. He felt awful for Lance, that he was having nightmares. This news about Lotor was sure to shake him up, but... "...no. The children would be the best support, but it's up to him if he wants them to hear. May I tell him? The children should see him after I've told him." Shiro sighed, knowing this would be hard on Lance. He was all Lance and the kids had right now, though.

The doctor nodded, "You may tell him if you'd rather. I'll give you privacy, it's quite heavy news, though. It will likely do some damage. If something happens and you need me or any nurses, just push the button near the bed."

Shiro nodded, taking deep breaths and readying himself for this. He and Lance weren't particularly close yet, so it was heartbreaking that there was no one else able to be here for him...but Shiro was willing to be his one ally as he was lead to Lance's room. He paused a second or two longer before entering and walking over to Lance's bedside, pulling a chair along with him. "Hey..." He seated himself and loomed Lance over just to make sure he was alright. "I heard about what happened when you tried to sleep. Are you feeling okay?"

When Shiro came in, Lance was sitting up on the bed, a hand resting over the dark bite mark on his neck. Dry tear tracks stained his dark cheeks, new tears overlapping them. He was staring off into the distance of the room until Shiro walked in. He looked up when he heard the door, and tried his best to smile. "Hey..." he whispered. "I'm okay..it's nothing new." He said plainly. "How was your day? Where are the kids?"

Shiro's eyes widened when he saw the tears. He quickly rolled up his sleeve and reached forward to gently dab at the new tears, heart breaking just seeing Lance crying. He knew he was about to make things much worse for Lance in a minute, so he didn't want to have to see him crying yet... "The kids are with a nurse in the waiting room. They're okay, we went for breakfast," he said, waiting until he'd dried Lance's tears before sitting back down. He tentatively took Lance's hand. He may not have been sure if this much physical contact was okay, but the news he had for Lance was heavy, so he wanted to make sure he was helping. "Actually, they'll come see you in a second...but first, I have something I need to tell you.”

Relief fell over Lance as Shiro took his hand. He didn't smile, but he almost did. It was short-lived though, because the next few sentences destroyed everything that Lance had worked so hard to mend in his life.

Shiro paused, hesitating to say it for a second, forcing himself to look Lance in the eyes. "...the police didn't find Lotor. He's...he's not with them."

He was frozen, his eyes wide as he stared at Shiro in shock. He forgot to breathe as he let the words process. He sucked in a breath when he started to feel lightheaded. Somehow, he collected his thoughts enough to speak. "B-But...t-they arrested him..right?" He asked, so quietly that it was barely over a soft whisper. He knew the answer. Shiro was quite clear, but he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't believe it. He hoped so strongly that he had heard Shiro wrong.

Shiro pursed his lips together and squeezed Lance's hand tighter. "Hey, he isn't around anymore, and that's what matters, okay? You never have to see him. He can never show his face, otherwise the police will get him. He'll have to leave, go far, so this is almost like arresting him, yeah?" He avoided directly answering Lance, trying to comfort him and word it in ways that made this into a positive situation, but he knew nothing would be able to fully calm Lance down enough, so he kept his hand on his, smiling with reassurance even though he was afraid for how Lance was going to react.

It took Lance almost five minutes, but finally, he was able to process the news, and panic replaced shock. He stared straight ahead with big, terrified blue eyes who were quickly filling with tears that didn't hesitate to fall. His small hand slipped out of Shiro's and moved to cover his mouth. It happened in seconds, he was pale as a ghost now, barely breathing as tears flooded his cheeks. He didn't even have the strength to let out the sobs and screams that were stuck in his throat. "Oh god..." he whispered, feeling nauseous and trembling violently. The poor baby was terrified beyond belief. The man that had made his life a living hell, the man that forced and sabotaged pregnancy after pregnancy for him, the man that tried to /kill/ him, was still out there, roaming free. Lance knew full-well how smart and cunning Lotor could be, and that's one of the reasons he was so utterly devastated. Lance knew that Lotor would do everything humanly possible to regain possession of he and the children. And once he did, he would likely beat Lance to death in front of his babies. "I'm going to die..." he whimpered quietly, choking on the little amount of breath he was able to take in after speaking.

Shiro began panicking, obviously not nearly as much as Lance, but still. He rose his arms, but was unsure of where to touch Lance or if he was able to. He remembered the doctor saying Lance's bones had already started the process of healing, so as long as he was gentle, it should be okay. It was sort of crazy for him to even consider this, but there was no other option he could think of. He propped himself up onto the bed lightly and slowly tried taking Lance into his arms, biting his lower lip nervously. "Lance...no one is going to die, I swear, he's gone and he can't come back, okay? And even if he does...even if he does come back, I won't let him hurt the kids, and I won't let him hurt you..." Was that a promise Shiro could keep forever? He didn't know, he had no idea how long he would actually be affiliated with this family, but he wanted to protect them, and therefore, he wanted to uphold that promise he'd just made for a very long time. "Shh...it's okay to cry. But you saw how I got him last night...he can't come near you, okay? I'm..." He gulped, not usually using this type of primitive terminology, but he knew it was the type of stuff ingrained into Lance's head, and right now, he'd have to play to his advantages, just like he had to convince Lance to let him help the first time. "...I'm the stronger alpha. He can't take anything from me."

Lance shook his head as Shiro spoke, immediately clinging to his shirt. "No..." he whimpered, "No no..y-you don't--" he let out a heartbreaking sob in the middle of his sentence. He was shaking so hard he was making himself nauseous. "Y-You do-don't understand!" he cried, gasping for air in between every few words. "H-He'll g-get to me! H-H-He a-always g-gets his way-y! H-He's smart! H-he's gonna...O-Oh god...I can't..I can't, oh god..." he pushed closer to Shiro on instinct, staying close to the only stable source of safety he had. He sobbed in his arms, hyperventilating and muttering many of the same things over and over.

Shiro's eyes softened as he wrapped his arms behind Lance, still being ever so gentle and letting Lance do most of the clinging so that he wouldn't accidentally injure him more. There wasn't much he could do; he worked in counseling enough to understand these types of things. He had to lend his presence, his support, and just be here until the attack died down a little and he could actually get through better. For now, he made comforting shushing noises and let Lance burrow into his chest, still muttering comforting words every now and then such as 'it's okay' and 'you're safe here' and 'I'm right here'. His eyes drifted to the button on the bed. It probably wasn't a good idea to summon the kids yet; not until Lance was a little more calm, although he knew the actual full attack would last much longer. But right now, he didn't want the kids to have to see their dad like this in the early stages of anxiety. So, he offered as much body warmth as he dared and continued waiting it out with him.

It took almost an hour and a half for Lance to finally start to calm. His sobs were finally beginning to die down and the numb state that followed anxiety attacks began to flood the small omega's body. He continued to tremble, but to a lesser extent than before. He still clung to Shiro, though, his face buried in the crook of the alpha's neck. He was very tired now, but he wouldn't be able to sleep, he refused to let himself fall asleep. He couldn't handle the nightmares that plagued his unconsciousness. "Mr. Shirogane...?" He whispered after a little while, his voice small and timid like a child.

Shiro felt his body beginning to stiffen and quickly came back down to reality, having spent the last who-knows-how-long trying to think of the best ways to calm Lance down and how to make him feel better and how to be there for him to the best of his abilities. He let Lance do whatever he want, let him come as close as he needed, let him bury his face in his neck, let him go limp against his muscles; whatever Lance needed, Shiro would allow. "I'm here, Lance." He assured, sleeved hand slowly climbing Lance's cheek to lightly dab at his tears so that he wouldn't appear like too much of a wreck in front of the kids when they did come in.

Lance squeezed his eyes shut tight, holding onto Shiro and hiding his face away in the crook of his neck. "You've done so m-much for my family in the last f-few days...a-and I really feel a-awful..but please..I need another favor from you, just one more, please..." he whispered, a few extra tears slipping from his tightly closed eyes.

"What do you need?" Shiro spoke without hesitation, not even taking a second to think, which surprised even himself. That honestly wasn't like him. He didn't just jump into agreements with people without at least a second of thought...but, well, he did really want to keep this family safe and make sure they ended up doing alright. They deserved literally 0% of what happened to them. They were just trying to live life, and Shiro wanted to give them the chance to start over and try. He was a natural born counselor after all; although this did feel a little more personal to him. He had a connection to these kids by now--and dare he say a connection to Lance, whatever that was. It wasn't just pity though, that was for sure.

"Well I..." he began, frowning softly as he tried to choose the right words. "I-I don't...I don't have anyone besides my babies..." he still spoke softly, sounding fragile. "I..I don't have anyone...I-I never did, and I don't know w-why it's affecting me now, but..." he trailed off again. "I guess what I mean is..no, what I do mean is...please don't leave me...please..I-I'm so scared...I don't know what to do anymore..." he whispered. “I just can't do this by myself... I-I've never been this alone before and I just-” he looked into Shiro's eyes, “I'm terrified…” 

Shiro's heart jumped, even though it had no business being happy right now. This was heartbreaking, he should be getting broken up about Lance being like this, and he was, but...he was happy, too. Happy to hear those words. Happy to hear another person tell him they needed him like this, because he usually only worked with children. He scooted closer so Lance could hang onto him better and dared to tilt his head a little so that his cheek pressed against Lance's head. "Mmm. We'll figure things out as we go, but I won't abandon you or the kids. You'll all be safe with me. I'm here for all of you." He took deep breaths, letting his heart beat resonate against Lance's body all snuggled up to his. "It's okay to be scared. But you're safe with me."

Lance shivered when he heard the last part. 'You're all safe with me.' 'Safe.' He had never experienced real safety before in his entire life. When he was a child, no one really looked after him as much as a child should be looked after. No one ever gave him a place to feel safe. Spending eight long years with Lotor was the same. He had absolutely no sense of safety and never has. But now, he felt it. At least he thought that was it. He felt incredibly safe with Shiro and he couldn't even piece together why. He clung to Shiro tightly, ignoring the burning in his ribs. He needed this so much right now. The support of someone experienced, the genuine comfort of someone else. He reveled in this feeling, the feeling of warmth and dare he say- happiness. "Please don't let go..." he whispered, his cheeks burning pink as he quietly requested to be held for longer. He didn't ever want to feel like he did before again. He didn't want to feel so scared and panicked and alone, and when he was in Shiro's arms, he didn't. He felt safe, and he longed for that feeling so much.

Shiro gently pressed his cheek against the side of Lance's head more. He was so fragile and small, it was terrifying. It would be so easy for Shiro or for someone else to hurt Lance because he was so fragile. He didn't want anybody to hurt him. He wanted to make sure nobody would hurt him. "I'll protect you." Shiro insisted, determination burning in his eyes. No matter what, he would protect Lance. They were in this together now. He reached down to hold one of Lance's hands, thumb massaging the veins on his wrist comfortingly to soothe his nerves. "Hey, did you want to see the kids? You can stay here with me, I won't move. We can just press the button and have the doctors bring the kids. They've been having a lot of fun and want to tell you all about it."

Lance sniffled quietly and took a deep breath, wincing at the dull pain in his ribs. "Mhm..." he hummed, resting his head on Shiro's shoulder. "I want to see my babies...I missed them so much." He said softly, wiping the stray tears away from his cheeks. He was ready to see them, even though he didn't want Shiro to let go of him. "Did they have fun at breakfast?"

Shiro smiled down at Lance as he rested against his shoulder, reaching to press the button on the bed. "Yeah, they had a great time. They'll tell you all about it, I'm sure." It took only a few moments before the door opened to reveal Lance's doctor, and Shiro asked him to bring the kids in, which he did quickly.

Luna gasped when she saw them, happiness fluttering in her stomach for some reason upon seeing her papa and Shiro being close to each other. She liked it for some reason, liked it much better than seeing her papa and Sir, and she was just happy to see her papa again in general. "Papa!" She rushed over to him with Riley, refraining from jumping into a hug since she didn't want to hurt him.

Lance smiled softly at his children. He sat up a little bit, but kept his hand in Shiro's, squeezing it for a silent sense of strength. "Hola, niños. How was your breakfast? Mr. Shirogane tells me that you had lots of fun."

Riley smiled big and rested his chin on his hands which were gently placed atop Lance's leg. "We had so much fun, papa! I got hot chocolate!! And we got a movie for us to watch too!" He squeaked excitedly. 

Lance smiled weakly. He wanted so badly to smile bigger, to show how happy he was that his babies had fun, but he was gradually losing all strength to do so.

"Oh! Oh! And then, we had waffles! Chocolate chip waffles with milk!" Luna exclaimed, jumping up and down from where she was. "And they were really yummy! And the lady was super pretty and nice!"

Shiro chuckled and looked down at Lance. "I hope you aren't angry I let them have chocolate in the morning, I figured comfort food would be nice though. Plus, I can't say no to them." He laughed at himself more and sighed, linking his fingers with Lance's subconsciously. "Did the doctors give you breakfast? If not, I'll tell them to."

"That's great, baby! I'm so glad that you had fun." he brushed his fingers over her cheek a little, giving her a loving smile. His small smile faltered at hearing Shiro's question, and he looked away before speaking, "No, it's alright. I'm just n-not very hungry..." Of course, it was a lie. Lance hadn't eaten in days, but every time he thought about food, Lotor's words would ring in his head even louder than normal. 'If I find out that you ate anything, both children will be vomiting blood.' This, and so many other threats like it scarred Lance's mind to the point where eating was barely an option for himself anymore. He just couldn't handle it. He was completely petrified of what might happen if he did.

Shiro looked him over worriedly, but nodded slowly. "Okay. You should eat to feel better...but I trust the doctors will see to that." That was half true. He only half trusted the doctors. He knew they wouldn't spend as much time making sure Lance was okay other than his bones and such, because...he was an omega. But if Lance didn't feel like eating, Shiro couldn't do anything about that right now. 

"Ooh! Papa!" Luna reached down into the bag she was carrying. "We got a movie! Look, look, look!" She took out the movie and held it up for him to see, staring at it herself. She was still amazed by it.

There was a spark in Lance's eyes when he saw what movie it was. He looked to Shiro, then to the kids and back at the movie. "I love that movie!" He said happily, "When are you gonna watch it, loves?" He asked with the same weak smile. He was growing very tired physically as well, leaning a little bit more on Shiro as he focused on his children.

Riley jumped up and down happily, "Yeah, Shiro when are we gonna watch the movie??" 

Lance frowned when Riley called him Shiro instead of Mr. Shirogane. "Riley, be respectful." He scolded softly, "He's /Mr. Shirogane./ You must always be respectful to people's names." he sighed, looking up at Shiro, "I apologize, he means well, I believe he just forgot his manners." Lance was only being harsh because he honestly had no idea that Shiro really did tell them to call him that. Lotor had that rule drilled into his head as well. Always respect your higher ups. 'Basically everyone that isn't scum like you.' Lance remembered Lotor saying that to him, right before he was beaten to the point of unconsciousness. He had accidentally called one of Lotor's associates something other than 'Sir' or 'Alpha,' which apparently publicly humiliated Lotor. So, he was punished. And he never forgot that rule again. Fear twisted in his stomach as he remembered that time. His hand was shaking as he kept his fingers locked with Shiro's. He was angry with himself for letting this random memory effect him so much. He was more afraid himself than upset with Riley at the moment.

Shiro's eyes softened as he felt Lance trembling a bit, and he squeezed his hand more. "It's alright. I asked them to drop formalities, I like it better that way. I'd like it if you called me 'Shiro', too." He shifted so Lance could lean towards him more while still being able to face his children. "Could you do that for me? And then...could I call you 'Lance' instead of 'Mr. McClain'?" 

Luna was clapping on the inside as she watched her papa and Shiro get even closer. When she was with Shiro, she felt safe, and when she saw Shiro with her papa, she felt like her papa was safe. She wanted Shiro to always be around. As she glanced around the room, she noticed a TV attached to the ceiling of the room in the corner and gasped, ideas forming in her head. She waited for Shiro and her papa to finish their moment before pointing. "Can we watch there?!"

Lance looked both confused and nervous as he processed Shiro's words. "I-I...Well of course you can call me by my name. But...are you sure I should call you by yours..?"he looked unsure and afraid. "Omegas are to respect and and serve their superiors at all times." He recited under his breath in a whisper. That was one of the strictest rules he was expected to follow with Lotor. He remembered the countless times he was beaten over a mistake pertaining that rule. He was just afraid. 

 

Disgust and sorrow seized Shiro's heart all at once, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap Lance up in his arms, because that mindset was not okay. In fact, he couldn't help himself; he gently wrapped an arm around Lance, barely squeezing at all though. It was more just showing the thought of hugging him than actually carrying out the gesture. "Forget about that stuff. When you're with me, you're not an omega. You're just Lance. And I'm not an alpha. I'm just Shiro." He made sure Lance was looking into his eyes and him into Lance's. "Nobody here is anybody's superior."

 

Riley squealed and nodded, "Yeah, papa! Shiro! Can we watch it here? I wanna watch it with papa!" Luna tapped her foot impatiently a bit, arms crossed, but saw that they weren't getting the adults' attentions just yet.

Lance was soon hopelessly lost in Shiro's eyes. He admired the genuine concern and upset that was in the man's eyes. He honestly didn't care about ranks? Lance had never ever in his life met an alpha who didn't care about ranks. But then again, he was the only alpha he had ever met to do a lot of things he never expected. Like touching a whorish, broken omega like this, holding him so close like that. He leaned into the comfort however, enjoying the warmth and safety of it. "Okay..." he said softly. He looked over to the kids and attempted a smile, but there was way too much going on in his mind to be successful, so he dropped it. "Of course we can watch it here, niños. Do you know how to put it in, or should papa help you?" 

Riley frowned as he tried to open the box. It took him a few seconds before he could, and when he did, he looked up to the TV, walking around it to look for the place to put the DVD in. It was no use though, the TV was up on the wall too high anyway. 

Lance moved himself up a little higher on the bed like he was about to get up. "Hold on, papa will help..." he seemed to be having a hard time though, understandably.

Shiro frowned and slowly got in Lance's way. "Hey, hey, hey, you can't be serious! You need to be lying in bed, good sir." Shiro ordered, reaching behind him to fluff Lance's pillows for him so it'd be more comfortable. "Go on, lay back. Kids, get on the bed with your papa. I'll put it in." Shiro took the box from Riley and quickly leaned into the hallway, asking to make sure what they were doing was permitted by the doctors. Then, he pulled a chair over to help him reach the TV. "Don't do this at home, kids."

Luna immediately climbed on the bed with Riley, giggling and smiling at her papa gleefully. "Look! Shiro is funny!" She exclaimed, pointing at him purposefully pretending to wobble on the chair like he was going to fall over. A nurse walked by and hit the lights in the room.

Lance gave a small smile and a quiet laugh, doing as he was told and laying back on the pillows, "Good sir?" He said, amused. He happily welcomed his children onto the bed with him, making sure to leave as much room for Shiro as possible in the small bed. "Yes yes, you're very funny, but be careful please." he scolded Shiro gently as Luna cuddled into his side. He winced a little and looked down at her, "Be careful, niña, papa is still a little bit hurt." 

Riley sat next to his sister and happily watched as Shiro was trying to put the movie into the TV. He jumped a little when the woman came in and turned off the light.

Luna gasped and went a little easier on her papa, snuggling up carefully and slowly before smiling. The room was much darker now, but the TV light made up for it. "Papa, I've never watched something in a hospital before! This is so exciting! This is just as good as the movie theater!"

"I've never watched anything like this in a hospital, either." Shiro chuckled to himself as he slipped the movie in and got down, pulling the chair over--only to see that Lance had made a bit of room for him on the bed. He raised an eyebrow and looked from Lance to the children. "Oh, uh, did you...want me there? I wouldn't want to intrude on you and the kids." Well, it was more like he wanted to sit with them, but wasn't sure if he should. He didn't know if it was alright for him to want this to begin with.

Lance frowned a little and smiled softly, "Well of course, you don't have to sit on that uncomfortable chair the whole time." He froze up a little after that, his smile faltering, "I-I mean you can if you want to...you just don't have to." He corrected softly, worried that he was putting pressure on the alpha to lay with them. He was still quite shaken up, but he had his mask on for the children, smiling and laughing quietly every once in a while. It was painful, sure, but he was used to doing it. The only thing about that was, Lance couldn't hold it up for much longer. He needed Shiro with him, next to him. Lance was a very touchy person, he always has been. He's always needed more physical comfort than anything else, and that's what he needed right now. Even if it was silent comfort, as long as Shiro was close to him, he could keep calm. "O-Of course you can sit on the chair if you'd rather.." He said quieter, feeling bad. 

Riley watched this scene carefully. He had a funny feeling in his tummy, but it was a good feeling. Papa and Shiro were getting closer, and that made Riley so happy. Riley was young, but he was old enough to know that his papa needed someone to lean on. And from what it looked like, he was starting to trust Shiro. Riley was happy for his papa and for Shiro. Things were starting to look better.

Shiro looked Lance up and down as a soft smile stretched across his face. "I would love to." He assured, climbing onto the bed and getting closer, closer...and when his arm brushed up against Lance's arm, he gulped. How odd it must be to see a man of Shiro's size getting flustered over something like this. He'd never had physical contact like this with another adult much, and even though he didn't enjoy referring back to 'statuses', he had to include the thought that he'd certainly never been so touchy with an omega. He liked it though, so he smiled at Lance and turned to watch the movie.

Luna giggled when the bed lurched from Shiro's size and weight being added onto it, smiling at seeing them next to each other. She liked that sight. She would burn it into her mind; the sight neither Lance nor Shiro could see. The sight of both of them eager yet hesitant to be next to each other.

Once Shiro was sitting next to him, Lance could finally breathe a little easier. A weak, but relieved smile spread across his freckled face as he leaned against Shiro a little. 

Riley made himself comfortable between Shiro and Lance, content with being surrounded by the people he trusted the most. He felt safe there.

As the movie started, Lance had gotten himself comfortable as well, leaning on Shiro with his children close as well. He was very content with this layout, it helped him stay calm and focus on the present rather than anything else. Lance had forgotten about the first scene of the movie, though. It was one of his favorites, but the first scene was quite a touchy subject for him. As soon as he remembered what happened in the scene, tears burned at his eyes. The poor fish had lost all of his children except one. Lance related to that so much, and he couldn't help but cry. Of course, no one there knew the real reason except him. So he just leaned over and hid his face in Shiro's shoulder, waiting out the scene quietly.

Shiro's eyes widened when he felt a wetness against his shoulder, slowly looking down at Lance. The kids were too excited about the movie to notice, but Shiro did. It must've been hard for Lance to see a dad losing all of his children. Shiro gently reached over to hold Lance's hand, stroking his thumb over each of his knuckles to silently comfort him without alerting the kids. It was okay; the rest of the movie would be nice. The beginning may be a hurdle, but seeing the dad do whatever it took to get to his son back would be better for Lance. This beginning part was just hard because it was way too dark for a children's movie, honestly. Shiro didn't want to disturb the kids, so he just continued running his finger against the back of Lance's hand and massaging his knuckles in a silent conversation of 'it's okay, it's okay'.

Lance cried throughout the movie, but it wasn't always out of sadness. There were good parts and sad parts and some funny parts that he giggled along with his babies through. All in all though, Lance had a blast. He wanted to do this every day, to feel like this every day. He was so thankful to be able to relax, to feel safe. He never really realized how deprived of these things he really was until now. He took a deep breath, his head still resting on Shiro's shoulder. He was tired, and this was comfortable. He hoped this moment would last forever.

Riley was cuddled up against his papa, still laying in between the two grown-ups. He was wide awake, watching the movie happily as he played with the edge of the hospital blanket. He made the observation that this hospital bed was really uncomfortable. He made a mental note to ask papa how long he had to stay in this bed, he wanted him to be comfortable in a nice soft, cozy bed instead of this one. He hoped that Shiro's house was like that. Safe and cozy.

It'd been a long time since Shiro saw this movie, so he basically was watching it for the first time all over again, experiencing everything like the first time and laughing along with them all. He held Lance close and squeezed his hand whenever he would get sad as they made it through the movie, and when the end credits started to play, Shiro felt bittersweet in his chest. The movie had been a happy ending and all, thank the lord, but he didn't want to stop cuddling like this. He wanted to do this again.

"Yay!" Luna exclaimed, almost jumping on her papa excitedly, but she stopped herself when she remembered he was hurt. She was super happy because this had been fun and it was the first time ever doing something like this, watching a movie in a hospital. She was super happy, which was something she hadn't been for a while. She usually always had to be scared of going home, but now, she could feel safe knowing they would go home with Shiro.

Riley was happy too, but more tired. He yawned and cuddled close to his papa. He was glad that they had a safe place to stay, but he didn't want to leave his papa. 

Lance smiled at Riley and kissed his forehead, looking to Luna and laughing softly. "Was that a notable expierence for you, princess? You look very excited." He chuckled. His hand was still tangled with Shiro's, and he didn't really want to let go. He hoped Shiro didn't mind…

Luna nodded adamantly, teeth showing from how happy she was. The entire thing was new because usually they had to watch movies with the fear of Sir coming home, in which case they would have to quickly turn it off and pretend nothing was happening. But here, they were able to watch without that fear. As was normal, though, she was tired after having sat in the dark for so long.

Shiro chuckled at them and hesitantly got off from the bed, noticing his hand still linked with Lance's. He smiled sheepishly at that, rubbing his thumb over Lance's knuckles one last time before letting go to turn on the lights. He wondered how long Lance would be here, if at all. His guess was that they might just want to check up on Lance for a day or two so they could make sure his life wasn't in danger anymore. After that, the hospital would release him with instructions on how to heal at home.

Lance sighed, his now-free hand running through Riley's hair. He looked at Shiro with a hint of dread in his eyes, giving away his attitude about the question he was about to ask. "Do you know what time visiting hours are over?" He asked softly. He didn't want the three of them to leave him here alone. He wished so badly that he could go with them to Shiro's home. He didn't feel safe here, especially not alone.

Shiro pursed his lips together as he walked back to Lance's bedside and took his hand in his again as if it were a habit already. "They're open, but I think the doctors want you to get some sleep..." He knelt back onto the bed, running his fingers against Lance's. "I do too. Can you? They have sleeping meds that can help knock you out, dreams and nightmares won't be a problem. Yeah?"

Luna propped herself up onto her knees. "Yeah papa, you need to sleep!" She didn't want to leave him, but she did want him to sleep. She understood some things were more important than her wanting to continue staying up with her papa.

Lance sighed, looking at Shiro, and then the children. "I.." he was afraid of sleeping again. Sure, these nightmares were a normal occurrence, as he said to Shiro before, but that didn't mean that he was used to them. They were awful. In every one of them he's back in that house, being called names, being beaten and raped, sometimes he's even forced to watch that terrible man beat his children in front of him. The nightmares were sickening to him, and they caused him to spiral into a terrible panic attack that lasted a very long time. Despite all of this, he did understand that he needed rest, and he understood that Shiro and the children were worried about him. So, he decided that he would try for them. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath while nodding and squeezing Shiro's hand a little. "Yeah.." he smiled weakly, "I'll try to sleep." he looked at Shiro, "Are you going to take them to your house?" He asked, sounding more curious and slightly guilty than anything else.

Shiro smiled at him being brave enough to sleep, happy that he would keep trying to get better, although, of course he would try and get better. He was sure Lance would do whatever it took to get out of the hospital bed so he could be there for his kids. That was just the type of parent Lance was; he was a super parent, just like Nemo's dad. "Yeah. I'll take them back to my place. I have an extra bedroom that's usually there when my close associate Keith comes to visit me, and I can set that up for them so they aren't sleeping on a couch or anything. The kids will be in a good place, they'll have a bed, I promise." Shiro would've just given them his bed if he didn't have an extra one, anyways. "We can stay here until you fall asleep." He squeezed Lance's hand. "Would you like that?"

Lance smiled, relief flashing in his eyes. He nodded sheepishly, his cheeks a bit pink. "Yeah...please stay..?" He asked, looking away from Shiro to hide his blush, and toward his children. "Just until I fall asleep, then you should all go ahead and get some rest of your own. You've all got school tomorrow." He said in a motherly tone, setting his hand on Luna's cheek and kissing her forehead. "This has been a very long weekend.." he sighed, feeling guilty for putting Shiro and his babies through all of this. They didn't deserve this. But back to sleeping. He took a breath and looked back at Shiro, "Did they give you the pills...? I-I need them if I'm going to try to sleep.."

Riley was excited to go to Shiro's house, and he was happy that was papa was gonna get some sleep. He yawned before leaning forward with tired eyes and pressing a kiss to his papa's cheek. "We'll visit you after school, papa." He said, hiding his face in Lance's neck and cuddling with him as he and Shiro talked.

Shiro nodded approvingly and stood up as Lance turned to the kids. "One sec." He went to the door and called for the doctor so they could bring the sleeping pills and water, handing them to Shiro. He made sure to ask them how long Lance would have to be here, and apparently they did just need to keep him here a day or so longer to run through things and continue their checkups. From there, patients with broken ribs and such could be discharged with instructions on how to properly heal. "Here you are." Shiro offered the pills to Lance and his water, keeping his hand close so Lance could hold it while trying to sleep.

Lance took the pills and water quickly, squeezing his eyes shut as he did. He hated taking pills, but he had to do it. He coughed a little after swallowing them, downing half of the water bottle. He was thirsty, and the pills tasted awful. He cleared his throat and handed Shiro the water bottle back with a small smile, "Thank you, Shiro." He sighed, laying down and getting as comfortable on the hospital bed as possible. 

Riley wasn't sure if he should cuddle with his papa until he fell asleep or just let him fall asleep and leave him be, so he just sat back and examined what Luna and Shiro were doing. 

Lance's eyes locked with Shiro's, his hand moving a little on the bed as a discreet gesture of asking for Shiro to hold his hand. "You'll stay..right?" He asked quietly.

Shiro's fingers danced forward until meeting Lance's finger tips, slowly tracing down them until they linked hands, the physical contact feeling so intimate and electric to Shiro even though it was just holding hands. He took a few moments to gather his breath as their palms lined up. "Yeah. I'm right here. Just squeeze my hand all you want." He nodded reassuringly. 

Luna reached for her papa's other hand. "Yeah! You always said me and Riley need to sleep early, but now you need to sleep too!" She said.

Lance's heart fluttered when Shiro took his hand like that. He blushed, but quickly hid it with a smile, laughing a little at Luna's words, holding her hand as best he could, though his cast was in the way. "You're right, baby. Today I'll go to bed early, but that doesn't mean you get to stay up late, got it? Both of you." he scolded teasingly, looking to Riley. Then giving Shiro an expectant look, "Nine o'clock on school nights, got it? No later."

Riley pouted, "But papa, we'll be good!" He whined. 

Lance just shook his head, "No, just because we're not at our house anymore doesn't mean my rules don't still stand, okay?" Riley huffed and nodded, not wanting to make papa upset with him.

Shiro chuckled as Riley and Luna pouted. "Got it. You can count on me!" Seeing Lance relaxing a little like this was nice, and it was comforting knowing that he'd be getting some sleep. "Just remember if at any point you're awake, you can ask the doctors to get me and the kids on the phone and we'll talk to you. The kids might be asleep at night, but teachers don't get sleep, so, just call if you need." He grinned.

Luna could tell her papa was getting sleepier, so she got off the bed, since she didn't want to have to get off while he was sleeping for fear of waking him up. Best to do it now. She didn't let go of his hand, though, and while she was still pouty, she couldn't help but smile as she watched Shiro talk to her papa. They all felt safer with him around.

Lance smiled and nodded, "I'll keep that in mind." He yawned, the medicine was really starting to kick in, he could barely keep his eyes open. "Have a good day at school, my loves." he said softly as his eyes fluttered closed. His words weren't specifically aimed at the children, he was referring to Shiro as well. Though he didn't realize that he had said 'my loves' while referring to all three. He would have been flustered because of the accident if he wasn't about to pass out. "Come...come visit me tomorrow.'' he mumbled before falling asleep completely, his grip on Shiro's hand getting weaker as he fell deeper into a relaxed unconsciousness. 

Riley kissed his papa's forehead before hopping off the bed carefully and looking at Shiro, "Our papa likes you a lot, Shiro." He whispered obliviously. "He feels safe with you I think."

Shiro's face reddened, from both Lance's comment and then Riley's. Having spent his entire life around kids, Shiro knew children tended to pick up on stuff adults didn't. They were much more perceptive to this stuff...and hearing it from Riley literally made his heart stop. For whatever reason. "Oh...that...makes me glad." He gulped. He was supposed to be doing this because he wanted to protect this family, to give them the chance at happiness they deserved. He was just doing this because he couldn't sit by and not do something...but now, looking at Lance's sleeping face, he was being drawn in by how soft and at peace he looked, like he'd really, really needed this rest. He wasn't doing this just to be a good person. Not anymore. This was personal, now. As for what that actually meant, Shiro wasn't sure.

When he finally tore his eyes away from Lance, he backed away and held his hands out for both kids to take. "Come on. I know you two are tired and all, but you're not getting any rest without anything to eat, first. I can't cook anything fancy like your papa, I'm sorry, but we can pick up a pizza on our way back to my house. I hope that's good enough?"

Luna took Shiro's hand enthusiastically as they walked out of the hospital room, glancing one last look at her papa and wishing him a sweet sleep before turning back to Shiro with an ecstatic nod. "That sounds fun!"

"I like Pizza!" Riley squealed, but then quickly quieted himself, hoping he didn't wake up his papa. He quickly caught up with Shiro and Luna, taking Shiro's hand and walking out of the room. "Can we go see Papa after school tomorrow, Shiro?" He asked after a few minutes of walking down the hall toward the exit.

Shiro smiled as they exited the hospital and walked towards the car. "Yeah, of course we can! We can even surprise him and bring him something to eat!" They entered the car and started down the road, stopping at a pizza place first just like Shiro had promised. After checking with them, he just got sausage and pepperoni before beginning the drive back to his house. For some reason, he was beyond excited for them to see it, hoping they would like it.

When they did arrive, Luna was bouncing in her seat with sparkly eyes; even more so once they went inside. "Shiro! It looks so warm!" She exclaimed, taking in the brown sofas and black and white paintings of florals and such. It looked very cultivated and refined.

"I like this one!" Riley called from across the room. He had gotten there super fast, even taken off his shoes before he stepped onto the carpet. He was standing in front of a painting of a white flower on a black background. He looked around after that, taking in everything with big, curious eyes. "Shiro, your house is pretty." he said before looking at him, eyeing the pizza box a little. He was pretty hungry, and that pizza smelled very yummy.

Shiro followed Lance's son's eyes to the box and smiled. "Come here, kids, let's look at the kitchen." They went to the other room, where he set the pizza box on the kitchen table and opened it for them, allowing the scent of the pizza to waft into the air. He pulled the chairs open for them and sat down himself, having not actually eaten anything earlier. "Eat all you like, kids! Again, sorry that I can't cook, at all." He chuckled at himself.

"It's okay Shiro! This is super good!" Luna exclaimed, sitting next to him and lifting a slice. "Besides, papa can cook! So you're perfect for each other!"

Shiro spluttered at that, nearly choking and dropping the slice of pizza in his hands. He couldn't even form words as he gaped at her, but she seemed unconcerned as she ate.

"Your face is pink." Riley giggled at how his sister's words effected Shiro so much. "You like papa too!" He squealed as he took a piece of pizza. He sat back and swung his legs back and forth, nibbling on his food happily. "Papa likes to cook! And he likes to sing too, he sings to us lots! And he reads us stories and stuff. Oh! And he makes us lunches for school! He can make you lunches too, Shiro!" He said excitedly.

Shiro's face was getting hotter because of these darn kids, but he couldn't help but slip into a day dream as Riley listed off all the things Lance did for them. He sounded so incredible to be able to do all these things and to stay so strong just for the kids when Lotor was doing such horrible stuff to him. He was amazing, honestly...Shiro couldn't imagine how he did it. Shiro had never had kids before, anyways, and being a teacher wasn't the same as being a parent. "Yeah, maybe..." He muttered off handedly, imagining what that would be like. He noticed the kids staring at him with those big eyes, and quickly shook his head. "I mean...your papa is great!" He cleared his throat and ate his pizza silently.

Luna tilted her head, wondering why Shiro and papa couldn't just be together. She thought Shiro was pretty great, and she saw them hold hands, and when two people hold hands it means they like each other. At least, that's what she heard girls say in her class.

Riley enjoyed the last of his dinner, he managed to eat two and a half rather large pieces of pizza, which was quite a lot for a little kid like him. He smiled at Shiro happily, "All done, Shiro!" He announced, swinging his legs over the side of the chair. "That was yummy! Thank you!" He made sure to use his manners like papa had taught him.

Shiro smiled down at him as Luna also quickly finished up, not wanting to be left behind without her brother. "Come here, you can wash your hands in the sink." He lead the way to the sink, not that they needed him to physically show them or anything; he just wanted to because. After they finished up in the kitchen, he lead them to the room they'd be staying in and started to make their bed and stuff while they marveled at it. "The walls are black!" Luna exclaimed, making Shiro grimace. "Yes. I find it pretty extreme, especially when it's dark out, but...my buddy Keith likes it, so...that's the color of the walls of this room."

Riley looked unsure as he walked into the black painted room. "It's super dark..why does your friend like it like this?" He asked, half curious and half afraid. He didn't like the dark at all. Back at their old house, the twins had two nightlights in their room, one Luna's and one Riley's. They lit up the room quite well. But here, they didn't have that. Well, they didn't have anything of theirs here. "Shiro? Do you have a nightlight...?" He asked nervously, holding onto Shiro's hand.

Shiro looked down at Riley when he took his hand, heart melting a bit. He crouched down and put both hands on his shoulders. He knew Keith's visit room could look a little unsettling, especially to kids, and especially since it was their first day. "Hey, how about this. Come on!" He lead Riley by hand and made sure Luna was following, taking them to his room, where the walls were much lighter with painted vine-esque designs etched across. His bed was larger, too. "How about you two sleep here? I can take the other bed." He crouched down again to look at Riley. "How does that sound?"

Luna was marveling at Shiro's room, walking along the walls and observing the cool designs, and then looking over his bed. It looked so fluffy!

Riley's eyes sparkled at the sight of Shiro's bedroom. He felt more comfortable in there, it was lighter, and the designs on the wall were pretty. He nodded and smiled at Shiro happily. "Thank you, Shiro." He said sweetly. It was around eight thirty now, time had gone by quite fast today. The kids were ready for bed, the only problem was that they didn't have any of their stuff. No pj's, no toothbrushes, no school clothes, no backpacks, nothing. Although the kids didn't really think twice about it, it was a slight problem.

Shiro smiled and quickly went to change the sheets of his bed so the kids could sleep on it. Then, a thought occurred to him. "You know, technically we can go back to your other house and get your stufd. How about we do that tomorrow?" He offered as Riley and Luna jumped into bed. "Or if you want, I can just stop by at some point while you're visiting your dad and get your stuff. I know you might not want to see that house again..."

Luna bit her lower lip, conflicted. She really didn't want to revisit that house and get a bunch of memories, but she did want her stuff. Maybe they could make a list of stuff for Shiro to get for them? Either way, it was super nice for Shiro to suggest these things. "Thank you, Shiro..." She muttered tiredly, crawling into the blanket.

Riley climbed onto the bed and looked at Shiro with a smile. "Thank you for saving us from sir, Shiro. And thank you for keeping our family safe. Whenever we're scared, papa hugs us and tells us it's okay. Papa really needs somebody that can hug him and tell him that it's okay too, and when we're safe with you, he's happy." Riley leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Shiro's neck, yawning sleepily. He was very tired, a lot has happened and he was ready to sleep, but he wanted to give Shiro a hug first. He always hugged papa before going to sleep, and since he wasn't there tonight, Shiro was the next best thing.

Shiro's heart caught on his throat upon hearing all that, hearing that he was being good for Lance, and he knew what he was doing was trying to be there for this family, but to hear it from them felt gratifying and it was heartwarming to have Riley hug him. He wrapped his arms around Riley, opening back up slightly for when Luna scooted forward. He hugged them both and rubbed their backs lightly. "I'll keep keeping you safe, then. I promise. You can sleep safely knowing I'm here. I'll do everything I can for your papa." He vowed, sighing into the embrace. He never really held anyone like this before. His life had been devoid of this type of intimacy...until now.

Riley yawned again and pulled away from the hug, burying himself under the blankets and getting cozy. "Gnight, Shiro." He said sleepily. The young boy was content with the outcome of this day. He felt safe, he was with his sister and Shiro, papa was healing. He was very glad that everything was able to work out, and that Shiro was such a nice person to help his family. He hoped that he would keep his promise and protect them for a long time, and he hoped that he would keep making papa happy. Papa deserved to be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn guys ik it's been a few days and I'm sorry! Holidays are busy and I hadn't gotten a chance to proofread in time to update yesterday. I hope you all had a great holiday!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance, Shiro and the kids get their quiet afternoon interrupted by a few very unpleasant individuals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The words and phrases that look like /this/ mean that they're supposed to be italicized. I might italicize them later on but rn I'm too lazy tbh.
> 
> Also: TRIGGER WARNING- Very abusive occurrences in this scene. Read with caution and stay safe, everyone.

Shiro smiled back at the two kids chatting together in the back of his car as they drove down away from school. They had gone down for breakfast again before school and had stopped by to pick up lunches for all three of them; just simple subway sandwiches. And now, since school was over, Shiro was bringing them to the hospital to visit Lance, which was honestly what they'd all been looking forward to. He wanted to check back up on him to see how he was doing.

Luna bounced in her seat excitedly as the hospital came into view. Today had been surprisingly fun since they'd spent a lot of time with Shiro, although she found it was difficult to go back to calling him 'Mr. Shirogane' in class now. They pulled into the hospital and quickly ran in, all 3 of them excited. Shiro checked in with the nurse as Luna and Riley impatiently stood by his side, and as soon as they were given the okay, they ran straight to papa's room. "Papa!" She exclaimed as she ran through the door, too excited to wonder if she might be waking him up from a nap or something.

Lance wasn't asleep, though he was quite tired. Instead he was sitting up on his bed, reading some random book one of the nurses brought him to pass the time. He jumped when he heard the yelling, but recovered quickly and smiled. He set the book down and opened his arms for his two children to come and hug him. "My babies!" 

Riley squealed with excitement and hopped onto the bed, carefully leaning into his papa's embrace and cuddling close to him. Lance was still in pain, but much, much less than before. He was glad to have the kids and Shiro back, he missed them very much. It was very lonely and boring, sitting in that damn room all by yourself all day. As he hugged his children, he smiled at Shiro too. "How was your day?" he asked, the question really directed to all three of them, though he kept his eyes on Shiro.

Shiro grinned as they all filed in and the kids jumped onto the bed. He stood by the bedside and let them hug. "It's been a pretty good day, pretty standard. I took the kids out for breakfast again before school and we also picked up subway for lunch, so, I promise I'm making sure they're eating." He chuckled. "They slept well, too, so don't worry about that." He felt a strong need to make sure Lance knew the children were doing well and that he was doing his best to take care of them and make sure they were still healthy.

Luna buried her face against her papa as much as she dared. "It was really yummy, I never had a sandwich from a store before, papa! All the people are super nice! Shiro said it's 'customer service'!"

Lance laughed and nodded, kissing his daughter's forehead. "Oh really? That sounds fun!" He smiled at Shiro. "Did you tell Shiro thank you?" he asked, looking back at the kids. 

"I did! I used my manners like you taught me, papa!" He said, making Lance smile proudly, "That's my boy!" He looked back to Shiro, "Thank you so much, Shiro. We owe you so much."

Shiro smiled and dragged a chair over so he could sit down, subconsciously laying his hand on the bed so Lance could grab it. "Of course, it's my pleasure. I live alone, aside from when I have close friends staying with me, so having the kids' energy is refreshing for me. The, uh...the doctors have served you your food. Correct?" He was a little nervous, and afraid that the doctors would only tend to Lance if he specifically asked, since he was an omega and Shiro knew how this stuff tended to go...he hoped Lance had eaten. He was looking very skinny.

Luna sighed, resting against her papa and letting him and Shiro talk. Just listening to them talk and hearing how much they enjoyed each other was really nice.

"I'm glad that they're good company." he said happily. The small smile on his face faltered when Shiro mentioned food. "I.." He hesitated, "...yes, they brought me food..." it was true, they did bring him food, but not without a scowl or a muttered insult of some kind. Let's just say that the nurses assigned to taking care of Lance were less than happy about it. He felt awful about it, he felt like a burden, and they treated him like one too. Especially when he refused to eat. The food was disgusting to say the least. Foods meant to be hot were flat out cold, foods meant to be cold were room-temperature, maybe even warm, and there was always, /always/ something stale included in his meals. He wasn't complaining about that though, or anything for that matter. Quite honestly the food was sometimes better and came in bigger portions than what Lotor used to allow him to eat. The thing was, Lance just couldn't bring himself to eat. He knew that he should, but he just didn't have the strength. He did try, and he continued to try, just like he had promised Shiro, but he wasn't very successful. Insults and memories would fill his head every time he picked up a utensil, his stomach would tie in knots at the very smell of food, it made him sick. Just the thought of eating made him sick to his stomach. He just couldn't do it. And deep deep down, it also gave him an excuse for his nausea. He told himself that he was sick because he hadn't eaten, or that he was just anxious or stressed. Though he suspected the real reason for his constant nausea and light-headedness, he couldn't bear to face it. He absolutely could not, and would not face the fact that he was pregnant.

Shiro grabbed Lance's hand and sighed in relief. "That's good. I'm glad to hear. I think the doctors will be done with monitoring your health soon, and then the remainder of your recovery process can be spent outside of the hospital. You can come back to my house and recover with the kids." He linked their fingers together reassuringly.

Luna's eyes sparkled as she looked up. "Papa can get out soon? Yay! Papa, Shiro's house is super cool! It has all these cool paintings and it feels really really warm! And his bedroom is really nice, and his bed is really fluffy, and he has a TV in there too!" She rambled on and on excitedly.

"Yeah! His bed is so cozy and there are pretty designs on his wall!" Riley exclaimed, somewhat upset that his sister didn't leave anything for him to describe to their papa about Shiro's house. 

Lance smiled as he listened to his kids talk about it so excitedly, but then frowned a little, "His bed?" He looked to Shiro, "You let them sleep in your bed? I thought you said that you had an extra room?" He was deeply concerned about this. He didn't want his children taking up Shiro's bed, that wasn't right. Shiro should be sleeping in his own bed.

Shiro chuckled, squeezing Lance's hand a bit reassuringly. "Right, well, my extra room sort of belongs to my friend Keith, and he's, well...a little 'edgy'? The room was a bit much for the kids, so I took the room instead. Trust me, I prefer it this way, don't you worry about a thing." He smiled at the kids. "As long as they're happy, so am I."

Luna beamed at Shiro. He genuinely cared about them unlike sir, and it almost felt like he was a second dad after papa. She kind of wanted him to be...and from the sight of their hands, maybe someday, he could be.

Lance sighed, looking down at their hands, seemingly deep in thought. He wasn't sure how to argue with that, so he just left it alone. "Alright, if you're sure." he sighed. "But when I get out of here, we will be staying in your extra room regardless of the decoration. I won't accept that you're own giving up your bed for us. You've already done so much." He said with confidence in his eyes. 

Riley wasn't really engaged in the conversation, he was just quietly admiring the fact that his papa was holding Shiro's hand. He thought to himself about how perfect it would be if Shiro was their father instead of sir. They would all be so much happier, and papa would be taken care of. He could see that papa needed Shiro, but not only that. He could see that Shiro needed papa just as much as papa needed him. Shiro looked lonely before all of this happened. But now that he was spending more time with Riley, Luna and papa, he seemed a lot happier. Riley wondered how all of this was going to turn out. Even though he didn't know, he was sure that it would be a good thing. Everything was finally going to be okay.

Shiro sighed, but didn't argue with Lance. In fact, he admired that Lance was sticking strong to not wanting to burden Shiro. Obviously nothing he did was a burden, Shiro was actually really looking forward to being able to take care of Lance at his house, as selfish as that might be...but Lance didn't want to be the damsel in distress and Shiro could respect that. "Alright. We can figure it out as it comes."

Luna gasped suddenly as several ideas suddenly popped into her head. Some of the ideas were about the beds and sleeping, but she would save those for another time as she reached into her backpack for the idea that was more relevant for where they currently were. "Papa! Today, Shiro had our class go down to the library to pick out new books for our reading, look!" She held out a book for him to see. "Can we read it here? Together?"

"Yeah! I wanna read together too, papa!" Riley squealed, bouncing up and down on the bed. 

Lance regained his smile as both of his children started to get excited. He hadn't read anything to them since that night Lotor...he didn't want to think about that right now. He was safe, and his babies wanted to read with him. "Of course, angels. I would love to read with you." He said sweetly. He looked at Shiro, then moved himself to his left, gently patting the space next to him. "Will you come sit with us, Shiro?" He asked, a light blush on his freckled cheeks.

Shiro wasn't blushing until Lance was blushing, because sitting with the family and joining them for something like this...something about it was so domestic. Shiro had never had something like this in his life before. Reading with children at school was different; here, it felt like he was a part of something special. He got on the bed and scooted to fill space until he and Lance's arms were brushing, sharing warmth. It baffled him how much smaller than him Lance was...how much more fragile his body's build was. It made Shiro want to protect him more.

Luna erupted into giggles when the bed sunk from Shiro's added weight and size, passing the book to her papa and crawling to his other side so he was sandwiched between her and Shiro. The last place for Riley to sit was on Shiro's lap. This way, they all got to be cuddled in some way with a good view of the book, since if the kids sat in between Shiro and their papa, then the two adults wouldn't get to be touching.

Riley happily climbed into Shiro's lap and waited patiently for Luna and papa to open the book. 

It was a fairly large hard-back book, so when Lance opened it to the first page, the rest of the book landed on Riley's lap. He happily took hold of that side so the pages wouldn't slip while they read. Lance looked up at the kids with a small smile, leaning on Shiro a little bit. "So, who's supposed to read here? Us, or you two?" He asked. He was trying his best to get his mind off of the fact that he was so close to Shiro and all he wanted to do was get closer. He loved the calming aura that Shiro gave off, and he wished that he would put his arm around his waist. Lance had always longed for someone to save him from the hell he had been living all his life. When he was forcibly married to Lotor, all of the hope he had of that happening was quickly destroyed. But now...now he was free of Lotor. Now, he was free to laugh and smile and cry as much as he wanted. He was safe. And it was all thanks to Shiro. Lance smiled softly as the children began to read. He leaned into Shiro, he wanted to rest his head on his shoulder, but he didn't go that far. For now, he was okay with just being close with the alpha. For once, he felt like everything might turn out okay. Might…

Shiro wasn't blind to the fact that Lance was slowly getting closer to him, mostly because that was all he could focus on. He was barely interpreting any of the book being read because his chest was tight with nervousness and excitement at this situation. He leaned slightly towards Lance, too, hoping to hint that they were both wanting to touch, to feel each other more intimately and take in each other's physical comfort. He didn't do anything too crazy, especially not with Riley on his lap, which was another thing that made him super happy, but he did press their shoulders together pretty tightly.

Luna was completely wrapped up in the book; it was the one she chose from the library, after all. Riley's reading level was always quite a bit higher than average, so when parts got too difficult, she let him take over. That's why she was the first to notice when a nurse peeked into the room with a nervous look on her face.

"...Mr. McClain, correct?" She asked, interrupting the reading session.

Lance looked up from the book, the content smile remaining on his face as he nodded, "Yes, that's me." he said obliviously. He was much too distracted by what was going on to even think about the possibility that something was wrong. It was extremely rare to see him like this. He was completely relaxed, the smile on his face hard to miss. His usually dull, fearful blue eyes were now bright, twinkling with pride for his children and even a little bit of excitement for the new relationship he was forming with Shiro. 

Riley, however, picked up on the look on the woman's face. He was suddenly struck with a bad feeling and he leaned against Shiro, still holding up the book, but also looking at the nurse with anticipation. He wasn't sure what was about to happen, but he felt like it wasn't good.

Shiro felt Riley lean back into him and instinctively wrapped his arm around the boy to offer him comfort. If there was anything he knew from being around children, it was that they were very perceptive of things. If Riley was nervous, Shiro was, too. He scooted closer to Lance just in case.

The nurse called to some people who must've been just outside before bowing a bit and stepping out, replaced only a moment later by Lance's parent's. Mr. McClain's eyes narrowed as he scanned over the four on the bed. There was only one person he was mainly interested in. "What do you think you're doing?" He took a few intimidating steps forward, voice devoid of sympathy.

Lance's smile dropped so fast, replaced with that same terrified face Shiro had seen so many times before, his face drained of color and his eyes full of fear. Lance sat up farther when he saw his parents walk in, but when his father got closer, he instinctively flinched back into Shiro. He had started shaking again, and his eyes were wide as he stared at his parents, whom he hadn't seen in person since the wedding. These people...they sold him off to Lotor and never cared to speak to him directly again. They spoke with Lotor often, but never him. And seeing them now was one of the most petrifying moments Lance has experienced since his near-death experience with Lotor. 

"M-Mother..father..wh-what are you doing here?" He asked with a quiet, shaky voice. 

His mother stepped forward as well, eyeing Lance like he was the scum of the earth. She moved her eyes to Shiro and scoffed, but didn't elaborate. She only let out a sigh and looked at Shiro. "I'm not sure who you are, but my husband and I came to speak with our son. Who has a mate, might I add." She said rudely, eyeing Lance and the children with disgust before continuing. "Now if you will be so kind as to take those children and yourself out of the room. This doesn't concern you."

Shiro's eyes narrowed as he tried moving himself in front of Lance protectively, but technically, there was nothing legal binding him and Lance. That didn't mean he was willing to just let go of him, though. "...what do you want with him?"

Mr. McClain's eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms impatiently. "Look, I don't know who you are or why you're here, but this is none of your business. Things are only going to get more complicated if you don't give us a private conversation."

Shiro bit his lower lip. So long as nothing actually happened to Lance, so long as he wasn't just sold away again, it'd be fine. They wouldn't be able to anymore, since Lance was well past the years of a child under their custody, and since his so-called mate had committed attempted man-slaughter, they couldn't do anything to Lance. Shiro softly wrapped an arm around Lance so as to comfort him but not hurt his body. "Hey...will you be okay?" He tried to catch Lance's eye contact. "Or did you need me to stay with you?" He wouldn't budge from Lance's side if need be, but he would at least send the kids off.

Lance broke his stare toward his parents and slowly looked down at his lap, then up to Shiro with tears in his eyes. He shook his head slowly, his body trembling. "T-They won't let you stay with me..." he whispered. He knew that whatever was to come, there would be yelling at the very least. He didn't want Shiro or his children to witness that, so he made a decision. "I'll be okay." he said softly, looking down at Luna and setting a hand on her cheek. He looked back up to Shiro with pleading eyes, "But just...w-wait for me outside okay? Don't...don't leave me alone here..w-with them..." the last three words were whispered weakly and quietly to keep his parents from hearing. The poor boy was shaking with nerves. This was clearly an unhealthy situation for Lance, but there was really no way to get around it. Lance only clung to the promise that Shiro made before. That he wouldn't let them take him back. That he wouldn't let anything happen to Lance.

Shiro's lips were pursed together, not wanting to leave Lance in such a volatile situation, but again, he had no legal connections to Lance. If the parents wished for a private conversation, it could get ugly if Shiro tried intervening. "...okay." He leaned forward and pressed his forehead into Lance's neck, as a way of comforting him without having to do something with his...his lips...this was the next best thing. "Come on, kids." Shiro ushered the kids along and followed them out, glaring the parents with icy daggers on his way out.

Mr. McClain didn't bother to return the glare, just waiting for them to be gone before stepping closer towards the bed, brows furrowed in rage. "So I suppose you think you can seduce one alpha after the other to get wherever you want, without thinking about what's best for the family that raised you?! Is that your thought process?!"

Lance flinched back, tears burning his eyes already. He was looking up now, opening his mouth to speak, his eyes desperate with fear, "N-No! Of course not! I-" 

He was interrupted by a scoff coming from his mother who had crossed her arms, the disgust still evident on her face. "I knew it, I knew it from the start. I always knew that you were a dirty slut, but I never expected this. Running away from your alpha like a coward and immediately finding a nice new fucktoy to hide behind. Pathetic. I raised you better." 

Lance was trembling, he felt sick. He couldn't handle this. He was too weak to put up with this. He was so tired of being abused in this way. He didn't know what to say anymore, how to say anything. He needed Shiro back, he needed his parents to leave and never come back. All he wanted was to be safe and happy. Was that just too much to ask? "Mama...papa..." he tried to use the names for them he used as a child. When he was so desperate for the love and attention from his parents, he would call them by those names just to make himself feel closer to them. "Please don't be angry...I-"

"Did you even know we've already gotten cut off from the financial support granted by the Galra family?!" Mr. McClain shouted, towering over the bed now. "I have half a mind to break the rest of your ribs so your new play thing gets a feel for just how much wasted money you actually cost. What will you do when even the horniest of alphas like that shameless old sugar dad doesn't even want you, huh? Is that when you were planning to crawl back to the Galra, to us, begging for another alpha?!" He was seething in fury as he grabbed the blankets and tossed them off of the bed. "At least be useful again and give us the money we sold you for! A hospital like this is no place for a stupid omega in debt!"

Lance let out a scared sob as his father continued to yell at him. "Papa...p-please understand!" he cried, "H-He t-tried to k-kill me!" The words got harder to say as his sobs grew. He was trembling so violently that he thought he was going to be sick. His arms were wrapped around his stomach protectively on instinct. No matter how badly Lance hoped there wasn't a child in his stomach, it was a natural reflex to shield his stomach from any danger. He had gone through something like this so many times, he knew his priorities. 

Mrs. McClain growled and stomped forward, grabbing Lance's wrist and pulling him forward, almost making him fall off the bed. Her grip on his wrist was strong, and it just so happened that it was his broken one. He yelped in agony and sobbed harder, trying to breathe through the pain and anxiety he was experiencing. "P-Please, mama..." Suddenly he was slapped across the face. So hard that his entire head was jerked to the side on impact. The room was deadly silent after that, and Lance was frozen for a minute, then, just as the tears fell from his eyes and slipped silently down his cheeks, he slowly turned back to stare at his mother with wide eyes. 

"You disgraceful child. You are never to call me by that name again." She spoke low and angry. "You have cost us. But we were offered a chance to get back what we lost. As soon as we get you out of this place, you will go straight back to your real alpha. I don't give a shit what you say. You are his property, and you have no right to just decide to leave. That is not your choice to make." She spat.

Mr. McClain was just glaring at him, and there wasn't even disappointment; he wasn't disappointed because he expected this sort of thing. "I raised you better than that. No matter what your alpha does to you, he is your alpha and you are his omega. Your bond goes beyond the two of you, it extends to your families. You just chose to be selfish, like always, even taking the children away from him. They are HIS children. Omegas don't own the children. You don't own the children. You don't own anything. Besides, we all know anything what happened was your fault. You made him do what he needed to do to you, but no one saw it, so now you're pretending to blame him. How disgraceful, an omega blaming its alpha...maybe if you did as you were told and stopped selfishly seeking out all the alphas in the world to fill up your hole behind his back, you could stick to one man and take care of your family like an almost respectable omega would!" He was spitting with his words, completely enraptured in his fury.

Lance couldn't breathe anymore. He was just terrified beyond belief. They really were going to take him back. Take his babies back. No...Shiro would never let that happen. Even if he went back, Shiro would never allow them to take Luna and Riley. Never. But what about him? He would surely die if he was sent back to Lotor. Either that or he would be beaten almost to death, or maybe worse, he wasn't sure. Lotor never failed to come up with ways to torture Lance to the point where he was screaming out, begging for death. The fear was choking him now, though it was selfish, he couldn't go back there. He just couldn't. He gasped for breaths between sobs as he weakly tugged at the death grip his mother had on his injured wrist. "No! P-Please!" He sobbed, "I-I d-didn't do an-anything! I j-just wanted to protect them! Please don't take me back! Oh god, please...I-If you love me, you won't do this! I'm begging y-you, mother, father, I-I'm your youngest son! Do y-you not have any-y love for me at a-all?!" 

The harsh yelling could be heard from outside the room, where Shiro and the children were waiting. Riley had begun to cry, covering his ears and pushing up against Shiro. "S-Shiro...wh-who are they? A-Are they gonna hurt papa...?" He whimpered. The children had never met Lance's parents before, and for good reason.

Mr. McClain growled, unable to control himself as his anger spiked to another level. He yanked Lance's ear and held it between his nails, forcing his neck to bend in an unnatural way. "You're really trying to ask if /we/ love /you/?! When you're the one being selfish? When we gave you everything you could have ever wanted, we gave you an alpha who would have tons of kids with you, who would give you the sex you clearly want so badly, who would provide for you and your family so long as you just stopped being stupid and obeyed him, then we let you be and live your own life, we gave you all the freedom in the world!" He tugged the ear harder. "And then you abandon all of it to run off and seduce some other alpha with a big dick, and try to play the victim?! The hospital must have messed up at birth and given us the wrong son; you have none of my blood in you!" He spat.

Shiro held Riley close, rocking him back and forth and letting Luna bury her face into him too. It sounded like things were getting pretty intense, but he had suspected things were like this between Lance and his parents. The yelling was scary even for a grown man like him; it made him scared for Lance. Still, he didn't feel like he was in any position to interfere until he heard a loud noise that wasn't yelling of any sort; there was violence going on in that room. "Stay." He ordered the kids, immediately hopping to his feet and making for the hospital room.

Lance cried out as his ear was pulled and he was forced to endure that awfully painful position as he was screamed at. He felt his heart shattering as his own father screamed those awful things at him. Not only insults, but reasons why his they truly didn't love him. He had never felt more empty than in that moment. He absolutely wanted to die with all of his heart in that moment. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that his parents hated him, but he had always hoped so hard that somewhere, anywhere deep inside, there might be just a tiny speck of love reserved for him in their cold hearts. But now he knew that it wasn't true. It wasn't possible. And that had Lance reflecting on everything. They were right, he was being selfish. He believed them. He believed when they called him a slut, he believed when they called him ungrateful and pathetic. He was. If Lance was standing, his legs would have given up on him in that particular moment. His head spun and pounded as he endured the torture his parents were throwing at him. He didn't have the strength to keep trying to defend himself. He was done, tired, weak, helpless. Just finished. In that moment, he truly wished that he was dead.

Lance's silence just angered Mr. McClain more, and he tugged his ear harder. "You don't even have anything to say anymore?! Or do you not know what to say now that we're calling your slutty piece of shit out?! Well I'll tell you what to say! You say you'll go back, you say you'll give your children and more children to him, because they belong to him and you belong to him you filthy mutt-"

"I think that's enough." Lance's ear was released as Shiro's prosthetic arm came in between them, and then, his entire body came in between them, forcing the two parents back with a hard but emotionless stare. Mr. McClain was clearly still seething with rage, even more so now, but one look at Shiro's dangerous metallic arm made him stay back. It was interesting; for such an insensible man, he somehow had enough sense to not go near Shiro right now. In classic cowardly fashion, however, he felt free to dish out remarks from afar. "So he went looking for someone with something disgusting like that, is that it? Alpha dicks don't satisfy him anymore, he needed an upgraded plaything like a robot hand? You're both disgusting." He looked proud of himself for his baseless insults, and Shiro would have managed to find humor in it had Lance not been crying from behind him. 

He was out of humor for today. "The dog's bark is worse than its bite." He muttered, reaching behind himself with his normal hand to cup Lance's cheek, but his unamused eyes never left the McClains. "Who's really the mutt in this room, Mr. McClain?"

Mrs. McClain gasped, a manicured hand on her chest. She looked furious and offended, and quite honestly, she looked pretty stupid. "How /dare/ you?! You should be ashamed of yourself! You look like a fairly respectable alpha, why would you degrade yourself to the extent of fucking an already mated omega of such low value?? You must be quite desperate to allow that to hang all over you. Don't be fooled by its antics, that pitiful omega will only cause you trouble. It has for us." She rolled her eyes. "I do hope that you haven't gotten too attached. You won't be seeing him any longer after this whole ordeal is over."

Lance grabbed Shiro's wrist as soon as he felt his hand against his cheek. He let out a quiet sob as he shakily gripped his wrist. He was terrified and sick with guilt and self-disgust. He just wanted them to leave. Hell, he wanted to leave. He wanted to go home with Shiro and his babies and hide away from the entire world for a while. He just wanted to be with the three of them. The only three beings in this entire fucked-up universe that gave a shit about him at all. He knew that it was incredibly selfish, but he just needed that. He just needed it so badly. He needed to feel safe. He was shaking and trembling violently, squeezing his eyes shut tight and clinging to Shiro. "Don't let them take me away..." he whispered hoarsely, choking on his breaths. He was still quite deep in his panic attack.

Shiro glanced back at Lance briefly, but other than that, didn't interrupt his stand off against the McClains. He offered more of his hand for comfort, since he would have to wait to verbally comfort Lance. "As much as your concern flatters me, I promise I won't need it. I'm not fucking anybody, and he isn't mated to anyone." His eyes narrowed as he stared straight through them. "The term 'mate' means a partner for life. Lance was claimed; not mated. There's more to a mate than a physical mark or bond." The room fell silent at that as Shiro rolled his arm up his sleeve to wipe at Lance's tears, thumb stroking his cheek gently. "...you know...I have a friend." His eyes drifted back to the parents. "Her name is Allura- Allura Altea. She's a lawyer, and she's the daughter of one of the supreme court judges; Alfor Altea. We're rather close." He didn't state the threat out loud, but he let the McClains dance around whether he was implying it or not. "After today, Lance will be getting discharged and he'll serve the rest of his recovery period in my home. I suggest you drop your accusations now and just go home, forget this whole thing." There was a defensive gleam to his eyes as he glanced at the mother. "You won't be seeing him after this whole ordeal is over." He parroted her words back.

Lance shivered and hid his face in Shiro's shirt, clinging to him as he tried to calm his insane shaking and sobbing. Everything was going to be alright...Shiro wouldn't let them take him. He just wouldn't...he promised... 

Mrs. McClain's eyes were filled with fire as she stared at Shiro. She didn't know what to say though, so she left it up to her husband. She just moved her murderous glare toward her son who was cowering behind the unknown alpha pathetically. 

Lance peeked out from behind Shiro, only to feel like he was stabbed straight through the heart as he made eye contact with his mother. He whimpered quietly and hid away again, clinging to Shiro like a scared child. "Just go away.." he whispered, loud enough for the other three in the room to notice that he spoke, but not hear what he said.

Shiro glanced back at Lance, refusing to let his heart break at the sight of him crying. Not just yet. The parents were, for whatever reason, still here, after all. He caught them in his icy glare once more. "Leave." The father opened his mouth, but Shiro was tired of hearing anything coming out of either of their mouths, so he spoke first. "He isn't a minor anymore, he is legally able to make his own decisions. Parents no longer have any say over his life..." Shiro held Lance closer as his eyes flared up suddenly, dangerously. "...if he had any parents." The McClains exchanged another look, but Shiro was done with them. "You don't get to call yourselves his parents. Now be gone, before I'm forced to file what happened here as abuse, too. Hospital rooms have cameras." 

The amount of anger and panic filling into the McClains eyes was priceless to him, especially since he could just see their realization growing that they had lost this battle. "...it isn't over." Mr. McClain vowed. "We'll get the money he's worth; we didn't make him for nothing." Then, with that, he and the mother marched out of there, with a jewelry lined purse swinging from Mrs. McClain's arm.

Shiro scoffed. "As if money is a problem for you. Your bark really is worse than your nonexistent bite." Satisfied with having the last jab, Shiro turned back around to cup Lance's face in both his hands, emotionless eyes softening immediately upon setting their sights on him. "Hey...hey. You're gonna be okay." He pressed their foreheads together so their eyes were closer; so they could look into each other more for more comfort. "You did fantastic, Lance."

Lance couldn't hold in the panicked sobs that were building up in those last few minutes his parents were there. As soon as Shiro finished his sentence meant to soothe him, he broke down into heart shattering sobs. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to regulate his breathing. He was failing though, no matter how hard he tried to calm himself, he only made it worse. He was still shaking violently and choking on his sobs. "I-I-I-I-" he tried to speak, but it just came out as half-finished words and more sharp intakes of breath. He was having another panic attack, and this one was painful. His wrist was in so much pain, but his head was worse. He felt dizzy and sick and he just wanted everything to stop. "I'm s-s-sorry-y. I'm s-sorry-y, Sh-Sh-S-Sh..." he couldn't even finish saying Shiro's name. Everything was so heavy again, and he felt like he was being crushed under the weight. Everything and nothing was happening all at once in the poor boy's head and he couldn't calm himself down.

"Shhh, Shhh. Don't speak. Come on, let's get you to calmed down." He gently rubbed Lance's back, sitting down on the bed right next to him to continue offering his body warmth and comfort if Lance decided he wanted the contact. "It's okay...shhh...just listen to my voice...to the sound of my breathing...the one you're next to right now is me, Shiro. No one else is ever going to touch or hurt you again. I've got you. It's going to be okay..." He repeated soothingly. Once again, he knew there was no magic cure to panic attacks other than medications. He just had to stay and keep staying until Lance calmed down enough for the support to work better. "Don't apologize. Shhh. It's okay." 

Lance whimpered and sobbed into Shiro's chest as he lay there against him. It took him almost 10 minutes to finally calm his erratic breathing. When he finally did, he was still crying quite hard, but he was better than he was before. "L-L-Luna...a-and Ri-Riley..." he whimpered after a few minutes. He had realized that they weren't in the room with them, and thought that maybe they were in the hall. That was okay until he realized that they could be in the hall with his parents. And now he was beginning to panic again. "Shiro, wh-where are my babies..?!" He gasped, pushing himself up, but yelling out in pain as he put too much pressure on his injured arm.

Shiro's eyes narrowed as he pushed himself to his feet. The parents wouldn't dare do something like try kidnapping the kids, not after Shiro told them about his connection to the law, but that didn't mean they wouldn't do something like screech at them. He patted Lance's cheek lightly before leaving to the hallway, heart dropping like a stone when he saw the parents were in fact still there, gazing upon Lance's children for probably the first time. He was furious, but he was also a little proud when he saw Luna standing in front of Riley, not backing down. Right; she wouldn't let anything happen to them, either. The kids were capable beyond their age, and they were showing it again just like when they called him on that night. "Leave us alone! I don't believe you!" She shouted. Shiro quickly made his way over, cutting off their eye contact with his arm once more. "Maybe I didn't make myself clear." His eyes were as sharp as knives, slicing through the McClains as Luna and Riley fell back in relief upon seeing him. "Leave now, or you're going to be so waist deep in trouble you won't be able to pay your way out of it even if you sold the rest of your kids. That is, if you haven't yet." He lifted his prosthetic arm threateningly. He didn't usually like to use it as a weapon threat, but this was an exception, and it worked. The McClains backed away, hatred in their eyes, knowing they couldn't make one wrong move around him since he had connections with Allura and Alfor.

Riley stepped forward and hid behind Shiro. He watched the two strangers walk all the way down the hall and turn the corner before he got a confident smirk on his face and leaned forward, yelling down the hall. "Yeah, you better run!" It was quite amusing, little Riley looking so determined. Of course, he would never have said that to their faces, and it was likely that they didn't even hear him, but that was okay with him. He looked up to Shiro with a big smile. "That was so cool, Shiro! You scared them away so fast!" He said, grabbing his hand. His face fell to a frown after a few seconds, looking worried. "Is papa okay...?" 

As he was left alone in the room for a few minutes while Shiro went to get the kids, Lance curled into himself on the bed and cried to himself. The words his parents thew at him would scar him for life. Those awful, hateful words plagued his mind now and probably would for a very long time. He felt so small. He curled up in the thin white sheets of the hospital bed and sobbed his heart out as he drowned in self-hatred. He didn't know what to do with himself. He missed Shiro and he wanted to see his babies. He hoped they would be back soon…

Shiro squeezed Riley's hand and smiled down at him yelling after them. "He'll be okay, once he sees you two. Come on." He lead them back to Lance's room quickly, not wanting to leave him alone for too long. They quickly rushed back over to the bed, and he let the kids jump onto it and crawl towards Lance.

"Papa!" Luna exclaimed, relief flooding into her now that those people were gone and they were all together again, alone in the room. "Papa!" She tried hugging him. She didn't know what happened, but the room had been loud and she was scared for her papa. He was getting hurt a lot lately and she wanted it to stop. At least Shiro was here to make sure things didn't go completely wrong like they always did.

Lance sat up when Shiro and the kids entered the room, taking a deep breath and trying his best to smile. He took both of them into his arms and held them close. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you..?" He asked weakly, putting some distance in between the twins and himself so he could look them over to make sure they were alright. If they hurt his babies, they would definitely pay somehow. Lance was nothing if not a good mother. He was very, very protective over his children. 

Riley shook his head, looking worried. "No, papa..they only talked to us...did they hurt you??" He sounded panicked. Lance sighed and relaxed slightly, glancing to Shiro before looking back at them. "I'll be okay mijo. What did they say to you?" He looked back and forth from Luna to Riley with a worried expression.

Luna bit her lower lip, hands shuffling in her lap a bit. "They said...they were saying they were out grandparents and...and we weren't yours to keep..." She gulped, scooting closer. "Hey, papa, were they really our grandparents? But then why were they saying you were bad..."

Shiro sat on the bed off to the side a bit, offering his presence more than anything right now so the family would know they could have this conversation right now without worrying about being interrupted.

Lance closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath. He thought for a long time before shaking his head. "No...no, they weren't your grandparents." he said quietly. He tried to sound angry as he spoke, but he couldn't find it in himself. He didn't feel angry, all he felt was broken. He wasn't sure why his parents' words had affected him so negatively, but they did. And they wouldn't stop echoing in his head. A his eyes suddenly overflowed with tears, and he bit his lip to keep himself from crying any more noticeably. "They...they're not related to us." he whimpered, the pain in his chest getting worse as he thought over that sentence. "And they were very wrong." he whispered, looking at his two beautiful children and setting a hand on each of their faces. "You are mine to keep. I am your papa, and no one else is responsible for you. Just me. No one owns you, niños. You are your own person, and you have a very bright future. My precious babies." He sniffled a little and pulled them close, kissing their foreheads lovingly. 

Riley cuddled into his papa's hug happily.

Shiro smiled and found himself getting emotional just watching them. He rubbed at his eyes a bit with a nod of approval, to himself more than to anyone else since the other three were focused on each other and not looking at him. There was more to a mate than having children, and there was more to family than blood. At the end of the day, the thing that connected it all was love, and Shiro had never seen love greater than what he saw between Lance and his children.

Luna also snuggled close to her papa, squeezing her eyes shut and sighing in relief now that the stressful situation was over. Her papa's words made her happy, just like they always did.

Lance held the twins close to him for a while, just focusing on the warmth and love coming from them both. He loved them so goddamn much. He turned his head to look at Shiro, resting his cheek on Riley's head. He didn't say anything, just smiled weakly at Shiro. After a little bit longer, he sat up, taking a deep breath before looking around for the book they'd been reading before. "Well! Where were we? I seem to recall you two reading to Shiro and I. Would you like to continue?" 

"Yeah!" Riley said excitedly, looking around for the book as well. "Luna, where'd you put it?" He asked, climbing off the bed with his sister and looking around with her like it was a scavenger hunt. 

Meanwhile, Lance took a deep breath and tugged on Shiro's sleeve to get him to move closer. When he did, Lance leaned heavily on him, his head resting on Shiro's shoulder as he waited for the kids to find the book.

Shiro's heart leapt as he was tugged, as Lance silently asked him to be there for him. Of course, Shiro was more than willing to comply, scooting their bodies together and letting Lance's head rest against his shoulder. He glanced down at him with a swoony smile, hand slowly crawling towards his until he rested his palm over Lance's. Then, they both physically relaxed into each other. Something about being close to Lance felt so...right. As he got more comfortable, he felt something beneath him on the bed. Grumbling, he reached beneath the sheets, and immediately, Luna erupted into laughter. "Shiro! You sat on the book!" They all laughed at him as his face reddened a bit at all the attention, but it made him laugh a bit, too. It was pretty funny. "Oh...my bad." He sheepishly handed the book to Luna to let her look for their page while still laughing.

Lance sat up as Shiro seemed to be uncomfortable. At first he thought it was because of him, but soon he realized that it was only because he had been sitting on the book. He laughed along with his children, secretly admiring Shiro's blush. He tightened his fingers around Shiro's hand, leaning on him again and giving him a pretty smile that was quite rare. His smile fit, it was so beautiful on him, but it was barely used. 

Riley giggled with his sister and papa as he climbed onto the bed, reclaiming his original spot on Shiro's lap. He watched as Luna got comfortable next to papa and opened the book to where they left off. He hoped no one would interrupt them this time.

Shiro's eyes drifted down to Lance's smile, although it seemed like he always gravitated back towards looking at Lance, and seeing the look on his face made Shiro blush more and his heart beat faster. Being so close to him drove Shiro crazy. As Riley climbed onto his lap, he helped him with his arm like it was natural at this point, and they settled back into the book.

After reading for a long while, a nurse popped in to check on them, and Shiro figured he might as well bring it up now. "Excuse me, miss? If I remember correctly, the doctor yesterday said they wanted Lance here for one extra day for examinations. Now that that's been taken care of, he's technically free to leave once we properly discharge him with the doctor, correct?" He couldn't even hide his smile at the way the kids flared up in excitement as the nurse confirmed it with him.

Lance had dozed off a little, his head back resting on Shiro's shoulder. He jumped when the door opened though, sitting up and looking toward it with startled eyes. When he realized it was just a nurse, he let out the breath he was holding and turned his gaze to his lap. When Shiro mentioned that he might get to go home tonight, he immediately looked up at him with wide eyes, then to the nurse. When the nurse confirmed, Lance seemed to just deflate with relief. He let out a long breath and continued to take in calm breaths. He smiled to himself as the twins were cheering excitedly in front of him. He was so relieved to finally be able to leave this awful place. As much as he felt guilty about staying with Shiro, he was more than glad to be able to sleep in a real bed again. Maybe even to cook again. He would never admit it but Lance needed this badly. He needed to go to a safe, pleasant home where he could just relax. He just needed a chance to be happy. And it appeared that it was finally happening.

Shiro smiled happily and leaned their heads together briefly, holding that position before gently tapping Riley from on his lap. "I'm gonna go settle the discharging with the doctor then. You two need to do your homework back home." He turned to Lance with a smile. "And you need a proper bed; not this hospital stuff." He got up and patted Luna and Riley on the head before leaving the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know his last name should be Diabazaal bc he's married to Lotor but I'm so fucking lazy guys just pretend that's not an issue.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is discharged from the hospital and Shiro takes him to his humble home to recover!

Luna watched Shiro leave before squealing excitedly. "Papa, you're gonna love it! Shiro's home is so amazing! I can't wait for you to see it!" She was bursting with joy, not just because she was excited for her papa to see Shiro's home, but because they would finally be under the same roof again. Sure, he hadn't been in the hospital for long, but it felt like long. It had all been very stressful, and she felt infinitely better knowing he would be in the same house as them.

Lance smiled sweetly and nodded, wrapping his arms around his children. "I'm sure I will." he hummed sleepily, kissing Luna's forehead. "How have you been doing on your homework, mija?" He asked, looking at Luna with caring eyes. "Have Riley and Shiro been helping you?" 

Luna nodded with a large smile. "Yeah! And now I know I can always count on Shiro to help me in class! I used to be sort of nervous asking him for help..." She admitted, fitting her book back into her backpack. She'd completed her reading goal for most of the entire week in just this one day since they'd read for hours, so she was feeling pretty accomplished.

Shiro finished going through everything with the doctor before returning with a giant smile. "Hey, you ready to go? The doctors said the pain killer meds they gave you will probably last for at least another two hours, so you can take more after that. Think you can do this?" He got down on the bed to help Lance every step of the way. "Let's just take this slowly and move with caution."

Lance smiled softly and nodded, taking Shiro's hand and clinging to hid arm as he slipped off the bed and stood for the first time in a few days. He breathed shakily as he struggled to balance himself, finally succeeding with the help of Shiro. He leaned heavily on him as he walked, his legs a little wobbly, and his ribs hurting a little. The pain killers were working quite well though. He was very tired, and a little cold, more than ready to cuddle up in a soft bed, or even a couch and fall asleep. Quite honestly, the couch seemed more appealing as he imagined cuddling with Shiro and the children on it. Maybe he should suggest watching another movie. 

Riley slung his backpack over his shoulder and skipped alongside his papa as Shiro helped him walk. He pushed the door open for them both so they could step out without obstacles. He was very excited to have papa come to Shiro's house with them.

Lance smiled softly and nodded, taking Shiro's hand and clinging to his arm as he slipped off the bed and stood for the first time in a few days. He breathed shakily as he struggled to balance himself, finally succeeding with the help of Shiro. He leaned heavily on him as he walked, his legs a little wobbly, and his ribs hurting a little. The pain killers were working quite well though. He was very tired, and a little cold, more than ready to cuddle up in a soft bed, or even a couch and fall asleep. Quite honestly, the couch seemed more appealing as he imagined cuddling with Shiro and the children on it. Maybe he should suggest watching another movie. 

Riley slung his backpack over his shoulder and skipped alongside his papa as Shiro helped him walk. He pushed the door open for them both so they could step out without obstacles. He was very excited to have papa come to Shiro's house with them.

"Here, sit in the back with the kids so they can do something if anything happens to you." Shiro said, taking Lance to the back seats and letting Riley and Luna help him in. He then took the wheel and started out of the hospital parking lot, even more excited now than before as they started towards his house.

"Are you okay, papa? Does it hurt?" Luna asked, looking over her papa extra carefully to make sure nothing was wrong and that he wasn't in pain. She didn't want him to be in pain anymore, and she didn't want to have to see him in pain anymore, either, although she knew he probably would be in pain since he was still recovering, he just didn't need to do it at the hospital any more.

Lance pouted as Shiro made him sit in the back. “I could sit in the front, I'm not gonna suddenly have a seizure or something." He mumbled, but did as he was told anyway. He smiled when Luna began to dote on him. "I'm alright, baby girl. Not much hurts right now." He told her honestly. Nothing really did hurt at the moment, but he was definitely exhausted and somewhat sore. 

Riley wanted to do the same as his sister, but he decided to just settle for holding papa's hand. Lance was sitting in between the twins, so both of them could hold his hand or lean on him if they wanted to. Riley, however, was on the side that had the broken hand, so he made sure to be extra, extra careful.

Shiro snickered back at him. Having them around the house would be much different than what he was used to, but he already liked getting to spend so much time around them like this...he was sure he would enjoy having their company. But, when he and the kids were at school, he didn't want Lance in any place all by himself. He knew he wouldn't feel safe. He would need to figure that out. There were a few options; he'd discuss them later as they reached his house and pulled in. "Alright, come on. Slowly now!" He cautioned, helping the kids to help Lance out of the car and into the house. He was focused on making sure Lance made it in okay, but there was definitely a part of him that was excited for Lance to see his house.

Lance walked slowly, leaning against Shiro. It was cold outside, and he shivered, trying to quicken his pace toward the door. Once Shiro opened it and the children ran inside, taking off their shoes at the door, Lance stopped in the doorway. A wave of warmth hit him as Shiro closed the door, and he couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. Shiro's house was indeed as beautiful and interesting as the children had described it, but what really caught Lance's attention was the smell. It smelled exactly like Shiro, pine and cinnamon with a little bit of vanilla. It smelled like home. Not his home exactly, because he never really had a real one of those. But just, home in general. It made him feel safe. He leaned sleepily against Shiro, his head resting on his shoulder as they continued to stand in the doorway. "It's really nice here." He said softly before yawning. "What...what time is it?"

Shiro made a small gasp upon feeling Lance's head fall against him, but he quickly followed it up with a smile, turning and holding Lance against him, fingers running through his hair lightly. "6:30 PM. Not quite bed time for the kids yet." He chuckled, beginning to lead Lance through the room as the kids rushed ahead to get rid of their school bags. "I haven't fed the kids dinner yet, since we had that thing happen at the hospital. I, uh...can't cook, not even a little bit, so I'll probably have to order something for them..." he muttered as he began leading Lance to the empty room.

Lance frowned and stopped walking, causing Shiro to stop as well since he was helping Lance. "No no, I can just cook something." He said, looking around the kitchen. He pulled away from Shiro and dizzily walked toward the fridge. He set his hand on the handle, about to open it before he caught himself. "Oh..is it okay if I look for something here to cook?" He always had to ask permission, always. That was one of Lotor's many rules that Lance had burned into his mind permanently. As determined as he was, Lance probably shouldn't be handling anything around the oven or stove quite yet. Not only that, but he was quite obviously exhausted and still understandably upset from the recent happenings. He was really in no shape to cook dinner, he should be resting.

Shiro's eyes widened as he rushed back to Lance's side. "Hey, you can barely walk on your own. I would love to taste your cooking, but let's do that some other day. Come on, let's get you in bed." He started guiding Lance back towards the room and away from the kitchen, being cautious with how much force he used. He didn't want to hurt Lance, but he needed to rest. "Come on. Don't push yourself. The kids actually really like store bought food and the like. I'm gonna order Chinese take out for them, is that okay with you?"

Lance thought about it for a few moments, sighing in defeat. "Yeah..I suppose. But this is the last time. It's unhealthy to eat out so often. I hope this isn't a normal eating schedule for you, Shiro." He looked at Shiro with a half amused stare. Lance was disappointed, he really did want to cook dinner tonight. Shiro had done so much for him and his family, he wanted to give something back, and maybe distract himself a little in the process. But he understood that Shiro was worried about him, and he greatly appreciated Shiro and everything he has done for his family, so he didn't argue.

Shiro set Lance down in the bed and glanced around at the dark room with a chuckle. "Uh...sorry if it's...edgy. Like I said, it was designed by my close friend, and he's into this type of thing." He chuckled softly, sitting down on the bed next to Lance and holding his hand silently for a bit. He sighed. "I need to make the call for the food, so...one moment, I guess." He dialed the number in his phone and quickly made the call, ordering the take out and getting classic things he thought the kids might enjoy. Of course, he ordered stuff for Lance, too. When he was done, he bent over to look at Lance. "Hey, try and stay awake until the food is here? You need to eat dinner, too..."

Lance's face fell a little as Shiro said that, he looked uncomfortable. "Um...I'm not really..that hungry. I'd rather just get some sleep, you know? I mean..if that's okay with you of course." This was turning into a bad habit. Ever since the incident with Lotor, Lance has barely eaten anything. He continuously made excuses not to eat while at the hospital, and he was now doing it here too. He felt bad about doing this to Shiro, he felt like he was being ungrateful, but he just couldn't bring himself to eat. He was in hardcore denial about his pregnancy, he refused to acknowledge any of the symptoms, and somehow, at the back of his mind, he had convinced himself that if he starved himself enough, maybe there wouldn't even be enough nutrients for a baby to even start growing in the first place. God, he hoped that there wasn't a baby in his stomach. He could never handle another miscarriage. Never. He refused to believe that there was a child there, but he starved himself just in case.

Shiro's brows softened as he looked at Lance sadly, but he was under the impression that the nurses had fed him, so he just smiled and squeezed his hand. "Okay. You get some rest, then. Did you...need me here with you?" He'd only brought that question up because he wanted to know; he wanted to know if the answer would be 'yes'. He wasn't sure what was becoming of him and how he felt about Lance, but he was in way too deep now. He didn't mind.

Luna plopped herself down on the bed, sighing in relief from how comfortable it is. She stretched briefly before pushing to her feet. "We have to visit papa!" She exclaimed, running towards the other room.

Riley happily agreed and ran after his sister, trying to catch up with her in a fit of giggles. 

Lance opened his mouth to answer, but then hesitated for a few minutes. He was about to say no, even though he secretly did want Shiro to stay. But then he thought about being here alone, an empty fear filled his stomach, catching him off guard. It had surprised him so much, his breath got caught. "U-Um..." luckily, he was interrupted with the twins bursting into the room at the same time, giggling and laughing together. Good, maybe they would give Shiro a reason to stay in the room.

Shiro smiled as the children came rushing into the room, rightfully excited to see their papa. "Well? Well? Isn't it amazing, papa?!" Luna exclaimed, looking at them with wide, enthusiastic eyes. Shiro chuckled, flattered that they thought so highly of his house, even if he had also been excited for Lance to see it. He'd been excited for a different reason, though. It hadn't been because he thought his house was something super incredible, but more just that the thought of sharing a roof with Lance was exciting.

"Yes, mija, it's beautiful." Lance laughed. He wasn't sure what to say next. His mind felt a little cloudy and no matter what was going on around him, his thoughts swirled around violently in his head. He let out a quiet sigh as the kids began to talk again. He leaned back against the headboard of the bed, eyes closed so his head would stop spinning. He was starting to panic now, but he didn't show it much. From what Shiro and the twins could see, Lance was probably just very tired. But if you looked close, you would see signs of something wrong. That is, if there was anything wrong. Lance couldn't tell, he could barely think straight at all. He felt like the world was spinning and it happened so suddenly that he wasn't sure what to do or what happened to cause it. He pushed away the logical reason, and just made another excuse for himself. He was just tired, or he hadn't drank enough water. Yeah, that must be it.

Shiro held Lance's hand, seeing how out of it be was, and nodded at the children. "Alright, kids, let's let your papa rest. You should finish your homework as quickly as possible. It's late, and we don't want you two up too late. I'll send you to bed with unfinished homework if I must; I'll make an exception, of course, but don't think you can get away with not doing your homework!"

Luna leaned down to give her papa one last, gentle hug. "Okay, Shiro!" She eyed their hands and giggled before running out of the room. "Food will be here in a few minutes!" He called after them, making Luna excited. Eating restaurant food and the such was fun!

Riley followed after his sister happily, squealing with excitement when he heard Shiro about the food. 

Once the kids were gone, Lance's brave facade melted away, replaced with extreme exhaustion. "Shiro..." he said softly, his voice wavering. He spoke after a few seconds of hesitation. "I-I don't feel very well. I think I need to go to sleep.." he looked at Shiro with tired eyes, "Is that alright..?" There he goes again, asking permission for something so simple.

Shiro scooted closer. He could hear it in Lance's voice; something was wrong. Something bigger than he could currently understand. There was something he wasn't seeing, Lance was hiding it well, but he could hear it. Something wasn't right...but right now, Lance just needed to sleep. "Yeah, of course...get all the sleep you can. I'll be right here." He squeezed Lance's hand. "Just sleep as much as you can." He would have to confront Lance tomorrow. He knew something was wrong. And then, he also had to figure out how to handle things while he and the kids were at school. He could probably ask for a leave from school to take care of Lance, but it'd take at least a day to work it out, so for tomorrow, he might have to call someone to come watch Lance while he worked things out at school. He could make a call to Matt, maybe, after Lance had fallen asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is able to make some new friends, as well as have a very strong and important bonding moment with Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Female pronouns for Pidge in this fic. 
> 
>  
> 
> WARNING: Panic Attack and references to past verbal abuse

That night, Shiro fell asleep next to Lance, sitting in a chair by his bedside and holding his hand, and by the time he woke up to get ready for work, Lance was, of course, still asleep. He smiled as he watched him for a bit before quickly going to wake Luna and Riley up so they could all get ready for school. When they were almost ready to go, he heard a knock on the door and quickly went to see Matt and Pidge standing there. "Well, we're here for babysitting!" Matt said. Shiro grimaced. "It isn't babysitting, Matt. He's injured and needs someone who can help him out with stuff." He invited them in before going to bring the kids down, smiling as Luna and Riley looked at the Holt siblings curiously and cautiously. "Don't worry. You can trust them." Shiro promised.

They set out for school, and now, it was just three in the house. "I'm gonna ransack the peanut butter." Matt decided, leaving to the kitchen. Pidge snickered, turning her head towards Shiro's guest room and peeking in. Sure enough, he was there, looking tired even in his sleep. She sat down in the chair by his bedside, taking Shiro's place in watching over him. When Shiro called them, he had seemed pretty frantic and desperate. She and Matt didn't understand all the details, but she knew something serious must be going on of this seemingly random boy and his children was staying with Shiro.

Matt returned with the jar of peanut butter in one arm, looking around with a mouth full of peanut butter. He nodded his head toward the guest room door. "He in there?" He walked toward Pidge to get a better look into the room. He hadn't been to Shiro's in a while, but he was more interested in this stranger that his friend had suddenly become so invested in. When he saw Lance, he looked surprised. "Damn, he looks like he's in his twenties." he looked at Pidge, "How old did those kids look to you?"

Pidge rested her elbows on her knees, sighing thoughtfully while observing Lance. "I'd say they're in first or second grade, and obviously twins." Matt was right, Lance looked incredibly young. How old was he when he had the kids, she wondered? She wouldn't ask that, of course, since she wasn't here to intrude or get nosy. She was curious as to how he and Shiro met and what was going on, but they were just here to watch over him and make sure he didn't die or something. Shiro had left a note behind for them to give to him when he woke up, so hopefully this wouldn't be too weird. For now, they just watched over him and fiddled around on their phones and stuff.

Lance woke up soon after that, yawning and stretching before wincing at the dull pain in his ribs and arm. He sat up realizing that Shiro was no longer by his side. He sighed sadly, missing Shiro's presence already. He decided to get out of bed to look for him, or his children, so that's what he did. As soon as he stood, however, his head began to spin again. Luckily, it only lasted a couple of seconds, so he continued on, walking out of the bedroom, but freezing when he spotted two unknown figures on the couch directly across the door of the guest bedroom. Fear gripped at his heart as he kept his eyes on the strangers, immediately sensing their ranks. Neither were omega, which meant that they could both likely overpower him easily. He just stood there, frozen and terrified. He didn't do well with strangers. He briefly wondered if they were sent by Lotor or maybe his parents. 

Matt heard rustling, and turned his attention to the guest room door, surprised to see Lance standing there with big eyes full of fear. "Pidge." he said quickly, standing up and holding his hands out toward Lance, looking at him with honest, calm eyes. "Hi, Lance. My name is Matt, and that's my little sister Katie, but we call her Pidge." he gestured to her but kept his eyes on the intimidated omega, hoping Pidge would take over now.

Pidge gasped, remembering Shiro had mentioned his ribs were broken, and was immediately up and walking towards him. "What're you doing?! You need to be in bed!" She began shooing him off towards the room, eyebrow raising at the way he flinched away from her hands and at her loud voice. They really knew next to nothing about him, so seeing him shy away from a girl who was several inches shorter than him was interesting, and sort of worrying. She may not have been the biggest people person, but Pidge was perceptive if nothing else. She could see the fear in his eyes. "Hey...let's get you back in bed. I have a note here for you from Shiro, he asked us to be here and to give this to you. Come on." She held the note up for him as proof while trying to hurry him back to bed.

She'd already read the note, which basically just told Lance that Shiro was with the kids at school and explained who Pidge and Matt were and that they'd watch over him, and had gone into great detail in telling Lance to be careful and take it easy. It was very interesting seeing Shiro worry so much over Lance; Pidge had suspicions, but for now, she was just here to do the favor she and Matt promised Shiro.

Lance took a shaky breath as he stepped forward and took the note cautiously. He quickly stepped away after taking the note, eyeing Pidge nervously before turning his gaze back to the paper. He read over it anxiously, only half believing that this was true. He moved his gaze back up to Pidge and Matt nervously before speaking, "I'm alright...I can walk." He said softly, clearly afraid of this situation, probably more so than he should have been. "I just..wanted to- to..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say. He wanted to find Shiro and the kids, but they were very obviously not here. 

Matt stepped forward slowly, "Lance, I think it's best that you stay in bed and rest for the day." he suggested, trying not to scare the poor omega who seemed to be shaking. 

Lance couldn't bring himself to believe this, even if it did seem perfectly logical. He looked to Pidge, then Matt, then the note, and back again. "L-Let me call Shiro..." he said quietly.

Pidge looked back at Matt. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't this. Just looking at Lance made her skin crawl with goosebumps; he looked like he had been through some serious shit. He just seemed so terrified. She stepped aside as Matt got out his phone and dialed Shiro's number, handing it to Lance. Things were suddenly much more real to her now. Who was this guy, and what happened to him? Why was he with Shiro?

Shiro was in the middle of a whiteboard lecture with the class, calling up kids and having them solve math problems on the board, when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Not good. "Uh...Luna, could you come up here and call on people? I'll be right back." He excused himself back to his desk, answering the phone. "Matt? Hello?"

Lance's breath hitched when Shiro answered. Relief filled him as he thought over what this meant. This was unmistakably Shiro, so if Lance asked him if he knew these people, he would tell the truth, and then Lance would know for sure. "H-Hi, Shiro.." he replied after a few seconds if silence. He looked down at his bare feet as he held the phone to his ear. He moved one foot around on the dark wooden floors as he waited for Shiro to say anything. 

Matt watched quietly as Lance spoke on the phone to Shiro. He stepped closer to Pidge and looked at her with a look of confusion and worry. This poor kid looked pretty messed up.. Matt was curious to know his story, but that was for another time.

Shiro's eyes widened as he heard Lance's nervous voice, but it made sense. He already knew what was wrong. "Lance...hey." He sat down at his desk with a sympathetic smile that Lance obviously couldn't see, but he hoped he could convey it through his voice. "Is everything okay? Pidge and Matt aren't being pushy, are they? I know Pidge isn't the biggest people person but I trust those two more than most people."

Pidge tapped her leg nervously, standing beside Matt and watching Lance, wondering what they'd gotten themselves into. Wondering what Shiro had gotten himself into; and how it had happened. It had to be a recent thing since they hadn't known about it before, plus this was the first time Shiro needed someone to watch him while he was working.

He relaxed the rest of the way as Shiro mentioned the two strangers without Lance even having to ask. He knew them, and he trusted them. He sighed in relief and turned to look straight at them as he spoke into the phone, "So you know them." he stated, more than asked. "Why didn't you tell me that you would leave me with strangers..? A note w-wont convince me..." he mumbled, his cheeks heating up just slightly. "Are the kids doing alright? How long ago did you leave? What should I do with these people?" He showered Shiro with questions, one right after the other.

Matt let out a sigh and crossed his arms a little, watching Lance's body language carefully. He looked very skinny, from what he could see. He thought it was weird before, but damn, this is a mystery.

Shiro smiled to himself and wished he could be with Lance to help comfort him a little, but that was impossible. "I'm sorry...you were tired, I didn't want to interrupt your sleeping. And I was still figuring it all out myself, trying to work through it all. I'm gonna take a leave of absence from teaching and have a substitute after today, so this is the last time I won't be there to look after you, I promise. I left with the kids around normal time for school, and they're having about as much fun with math as they can." He chuckled to himself. "Matt and Pidge brought video games that you can try to play, since it doesn't require moving much. I promise, they're some of the most fun people you'll meet. If you want them to leave you alone, though, just tell them to. Or if you want to watch a movie alone, just tell them. They can probably do anything you tell them to. Your orders are their command." He chuckled again at that last part.

Lance blushed at that thought. Could he really order them around like that? As soon as that thought ran through his head, Lotor's voice started in. 'That is ridiculous! You are an omega, you follow orders, you don't give them! You belong on the floor, you filthy omega.' Lance closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, trying hard to make the thoughts go away. After a few seconds, he had paused them just enough to reply to Shiro. "O-Okay..." he whispered, tears burning his eyes. He wished that Shiro was here with him. His mind was too loud. Lotor was too loud...he was scared. 

Matt looked shocked at the tears in the poor kid's eyes. What did Shiro say to him?? What the hell was going on was what he wanted to know. This poor omega looked like he had gone through hell, and that worried Matt. He made a mental note to make sure to ask Shiro what the hell is going on as soon as he gets home.

Shiro frowned at Lance's voice. "Hey, Lance, everything will be okay, I promise. Pidge is scary despite her height, so you're safe with her protecting you." He chuckled inwardly to himself at how he just disregarded Matt. "It's only for a little while, I'll be back around the normal time when school is finished. Make sure you eat something. Are you going to be okay?" He had to be satisfied that Lance would be okay before he hung up to go back to teaching.

Pidge was deeply disturbed by this all. She could tell this wasn't your every day injured patient type of deal. There was a story behind this situation with Lance and Shiro, and she knew Matt was right there with her in planning to demand to know what the hell kind of shit Shiro had gotten himself into...and how they could help.

"Y-Yeah...I'll be okay.." Lance sighed quietly, looking at the Holt siblings as he spoke. "If you trust them..it's okay." There was a small pause before Lance felt the guilt of keeping Shiro from his lessons. "I-I'm sorry, you can get back to your teaching now. I didn't mean to keep you for so long...a-and you don't have to take a leave of absence! I'm okay, really. You've already done so much for us..." his voice was getting guiltier with every word and suddenly Lance's eyes filled with tears once again. Damn, he was really emotional today... "U-Um..." he said softly, his voice a little bit squeaky, "Tell the kids that I miss them. I hope you have a good day."

Shiro's heart ached. It was like the longer Lance talked, the more he just ended up eventually breaking down, like he couldn't even hold conversation without going into dark thoughts. "No, you don't have to apologize. A leave of absence sounds great honestly. I want to spend time with you and the kids. And you're not holding me from teaching or anything; I'm actually having Luna lead the class in math lessons up front. Doesn't that sound awesome? She's doing a wonderful job! I'll send pictures on Matt's phone for you to see!" He desperately wanted to raise Lance's spirits, and he knew the number one way to do that was to tell him how amazing his children were being. He quickly took several pictures of Luna pointing to questions on the whiteboard and calling on people to come up and answer.

Pidge grimaced at seeing Lance practically crying, just getting more intrigued, but she knew better than to interrupt his conversation with Shiro.

A weak smile spread across Lance's lips, he felt a little bit better hearing about his daughter. "That's amazing! I'm so proud of her.." he laughed a little bit. Lance jumped a little when the phone buzzed against his ear, but he quickly realized that it was because Shiro had sent him the pictures. With every picture he saw, his smile became more and more genuine. Once he saw all of the ones Shiro sent, he returned the phone to his ear, "Please tell her that I am so proud of her. I knew she could do it." he said sweetly. His smile faded the slightest bit as he realised that he should probably let Shiro go back to work. "Um...it's probably best if you return to work now, especially if you're really planning on taking a leave.." 

Matt waited patiently for Lance to get off of the phone, silently wondering if they would be able to get any answers out of Lance. Of course, they wouldn't overwhelm him. Just a couple of basic questions so they could get an idea of what their friend Shiro has gotten himself into.

Shiro chuckled. He could just hear the smile on Lance's voice, and that in turn put a smile on his face, too. "Yeah, she's doing great." He sighed, leaning back into his seat a bit and watching as the class began finishing all the problems on the whiteboard. Pretty soon, Luna would just be up there with nothing else to do. "Yeah, I guess. This was a great break though. I'll see you soon. The kids and I will come home with some food, but until then, Matt and Pidge will get you something to eat. Until then!"

Pidge honestly found Lance's reactions to whatever Shiro was saying or doing sort of cute. It was obvious he was talking about the girl, his daughter, and just seeing him give such a proud look made her happy. It was very different from the solemn, scared looks he'd been giving all morning. She didn't know what waa going on, but she could understand and very clearly see that Shiro was very, very good for this boy's health. Although, to be fair, Shiro was good for everyone. Everyone could use a Shiro. But, /especially/ this guy.

"Oh..uh yeah." Lance falsely agreed to what Shiro said about food, before giving a weak smile (even though he knew Shiro couldn't see it) "I'll see you then. Bye, Shiro." He didn't hang up, he just waited until Shiro did before taking a deep breath and moving the phone away from his ear. He didn't make eye contact with Matt or Pidge, he just stepped forward shyly and handed Matt his phone. "Thank you.." he said nervously, stepping back and fiddling with his fingers after Matt took his phone back. 

Matt nodded and tried to offer a small smile, though gave up when he realized that Lance wasn't looking at him. He cleared his throat, looking at Pidge before speaking. "Hey uh, maybe you should sit down. It's probably not good for you to be standing this long, and I doubt you're very comfortable just standing there like that."

Pidge nodded in agreement and stepped forward to shoo him back towards the room. "Come on, don't think I'm taking no for an answer. Move, sit. You can check out my gameboy if you really want. Just don't save over my save files." She muttered the last part to herself as they went back to the room that normally belonged to Keith and sat him back down in the bed. She huffed and crossed her arms, looking him over observantly and curiously. Then, despite everything that had already happened, she held her hand out with a smile. "I'm Pidge. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lance looked hesitant at first, looking at Pidge's hand warily. But soon, he smiled at her and too her hand, shaking it gently. "I'm Lance. Lance McClain. But...you probably already knew that." he said nervously. He pulled his hand away and set it in his lap. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, mildly irritated that no one was allowing him to get out of bed and walk around. 

Soon, it was Matt's turn to introduce himself correctly. "I'm Matt." He said randomly, standing next to Pidge, "I'm her big brother." he smiled, pulling her into a headlock and messing up her hair. 

Lance smiled a little at that. He could tell that these two were quite close. It made him think about his older sister Isabella. He used to call her Isa, and they were the best of friends for most of Lance's childhood. She was five years older than him, but they were close. It was because she was an alpha, though. They were close because she knew what it was like to be treated like scum in their family. Lance's parents had very very strict beliefs. They believed that an alpha and an omega were to be married and have many children. They believed that the alpha was superior in every way. So when Lance's alpha sister fell in love with another alpha woman, there were many things wrong. Long story short, she was disowned and sent away, and Lance was never able to see her again. He missed her very much and he wished that he could call her, see her, anything. But he didn't know where to find her or how to contact her. He continued to think about her as he watched Pidge and Matt with a small smile.

Pidge winced in her brother's arms, but kept her smile with another small wave, as if introducing themselves again as siblings after they'd already introduced themselves individually. "So, how are you doing?" She asked once she was finally released, walking around next to him. "I mean, physically. But I suppose just in general, too. But I mean like, your bones, they feeling okay?" She knew there were apparently a multitude of different bones in his body that were broken for /some/ reason, no specification was given though. Shiro was being strangely secretive about the entire thing, which was especially strange since he knew if there was anyone he would want on his side it was her and Matt, but she was smart enough to deduce that he probably kept things on a low profile for this boy's sake. He didn't want to tell Pidge and Matt anything without Lance's consent. That made enough sense. She held up her gameboy to remind him that the offer to play still stood.

Lance laughed softly at the way Pidge worded her question, and took in a breath before answering, "I'm alright. It hurts a little when I move certain ways, but it's not as bad as it was..." he trailed off, remembering that these people didn't know the extent of what happened to him or why. "I'm okay.." he repeated, looking down at his lap. He glanced at the gameboy for a minute, looking interested but quite hesitant. He had never really had a gameboy, but his brother did. Sometimes he would sneak into his brother's room and try to play with it, but he could never really figure it out. He had always wanted one of his own, but obviously that dream faded away with the rest of the dreams he had as a child. 

"So, um.." Matt began, "do you wanna play on the gameboy? Or do something else? Oh yeah, Shiro told us to make sure you had something to eat, so we can make you some breakfast if you want." 

Lance tensed up, "Ah, no, I'm not hungry." He said quickly. "I uh, I could try to play the gameboy...though I've never actually successfully played on one before."

Pidge gasped, eyes lighting up and turning to Matt with a fire in her eyes. She sat down next to Lance and held the gameboy in front of him so he could see everything she did. "Come, come. Matt and I will show you and teach you all the wonderful things in the world of gameboys." Her lips curled up, proud to be able to convert another one. Tech was her /life/, this was her jam; can't blame her for getting a kick out of showing off her stuff and teaching it. Especially to someone like Lance, who seemed so innocent and ignorant towards the world of tech. She was going to have a lot of fun; she could already tell. "Look, we have all the Pokemon games on here, with a bunch of cheats Matt and I made. Yes, yep, you heard that right, we /made/ these cheats, make money off of people downloading them." She rambled, clicking her way through to show him. "You...you know pokemon, right?"

Lance blushed as he was suddenly put on the spot. He really didn't know what Pokemon was. He had heard of it, but never gone farther than that. "Um...I've heard of it...?" He shrugs his shoulders nervously, looking at Pidge. 

Matt gasped and jumped onto the bed next to Lance, making him jump, but he looked okay, so Matt didn't worry about it. "You don't know what Pokemon is?!" 

"I-I've heard of it!" Lance defended, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Matt just shook his head in disapproval and sat on his knees on the bed so Lance was sitting in between the two siblings. "This is crazy. Pidge, we've got our work cut out for us here."

Pidge was nodding in agreement, more determined about this entire job of watching over Lance than ever before. "Alright. Now before we even start, you have to commit this to memory; pikachu is 100% overrated. That yellow mouse doesn't contribute anything to a team." She insisted, still clicking through controls and trying to show him stuff while talking. In the back of her mind, she was appalled that he didn't know what Pokemon was, since even people who weren't as super-fan as she and Matt were at least knew the premise and stuff like that. Not everybody did, sure, but it was pretty rare to not know of it. Made her envy what /his/ childhood was like. Whatever; he would certainly know now. Her and Matt would explain the shit out of it to him.

Lance seemed to be very focused on what Pidge was saying to him. He watched the screen intently, trying to take in everything she said. "Pikachu is overrated, got it." he said, more to himself than anyone else. All of the stress and suspicion toward the siblings have melted away by now, and Lance's mood has improved quite a bit. He was very excited to learn something like this, it made him feel like a kid. When he was younger, he didn't often get the chance to do something like this, his parents always pushed him into his studies and nothing else. By the time he was 11, they had enrolled him in an omega boarding school where he spent the remainder of his freedom learning and studying about omegas and what he was expected to become. This was such a new experience for him, and he was very excited about it. He was determined to learn everything these two had to teach him.

Pidge rambled on excitedly as she went through the game and the world of Pokemon with him, beaming and getting into arguments with Matt every now and then over which Pokemon was better than the other. They usually got pretty heated until they remembered Lance was there, and being the siblings they were, it was easy to just swap out of argument mode and back into partners-explaining-the-game mode. She could see Lance was catching on to how to use the gameboy device and how you were supposed to play, and he was looking much happier than before. This was way too exciting. "Tell you what, we're /definitely/ introducing you to the show." She decided. She and Matt had completely forgotten about trying to get him to eat.

Lance was very proud of himself for learning how to play this game. He was completely invested in playing, but made sure to do what Pidge and Matt told him to do as he did. When Pidge mentioned the show, he looked up from the gameboy in his hands and stared at her with big blue eyes, "There's a show?? I thought it was just a game everyone played!" 

"Hell yeah there's a show!" Matt butted in, throwing an arm around Lance's shoulder. Lance seemed to tense up, but soon calmed down a little bit. He reminded himself that he was safe with these two, and there was nothing to worry about. Meanwhile Matt noticed, but decided to disregard it. Lance seemed so happy, he didn't want to mess that up by starting to ask questions now. "I bet we could find it On Demand. You wanna watch it?" 

Lance gave Matt a big smile and nodded quick. This was the most fun he has had in years. He hasn't had any friends in years either, he hoped that it would work out between he and the two of them. He would absolutely love to have friends. Especially friends like this.

Pidge was immediately on her laptop, having brought it out from seemingly nowhere as she typed 100 words per minutes. "I always have illegally downloaded episodes from the dark side of the interweb if we really need." She winked at Lance, but that wouldn't be needed since she quickly managed to pull episodes up for them. "Hang on, let me connect it to the TV in Shiro's room for a larger screen. We can go watch in there; besides the walls aren't as gloomy in there as it is in here." She stood to lead the way to Shiro's room, stretching a bit with a content smile. "Man, been a while since I experienced it all over again. This oughta be fun; especially with someone who knows nothing about the show!" She snickered.

Lance pouted as he walked behind Pidge, "I know some things about it..." he murmured, trying to cross his arms but wincing when pain from his wrist shot up his arm. "Shit.." he mumbled quietly, carefully returning his hands to his sides. Once inside Shiro's room, he went ahead and sat down on his bed, looking around with a smile. The kids were right, his room did have nice designs on the walls. 

Matt sighed and flopped down on the bed as well, staring up at the ceiling. "I haven't watched this in a while either. Should be fun." He looked over at Lance with a genuine smile, "I'm glad you're enjoying this. Honestly I was a little afraid today would be awkward as hell."

She crouched down by the TV and connected the cord before starting if and moving back to join them on the bed, immediately falling into her back and stretching on the mattress. "Man, Shiro's bed is the best...!" She exclaimed, rubbing her eyes before sitting back up with a sarcastic gasp. "Matt! Did you just assume his enjoyment level?" She turned to Lance and reached out for his shoulder. "I am so sorry for him!" She broke into laughter not able to even pretend to be serious about it before turning back to the TV screen. "Really though, I'm glad we aren't just sitting around in the living room being forced to wonder who the estranged boy in the guest room is." It was a tad bit ironic, since, technically, they still had no idea who be was...but this was better, either way.

Lance laughed a little as Pidge did, looking at Matt, who rolled his eyes at the comment. "Yeah whatever, nerd." Matt mumbled, kicking her. Lance smiled, this was nice. He was wary of these people at first, but they seemed to be really nice and quite funny. Not to mention they were fun to be around. While he was with them, learning about Pokemon and watching them joke around with each other, Lance barely even thought about all of the awful things he was going through. He was just...simply having a good time. 

"I'm glad too.." Lance smiled softly, "I think I needed this. You know, to just calm down and enjoy something for once. I'm excited to see the show."

Pidge smiled at him. He was a nice boy, and even though she could tell just from their interactions that there was a lot more to him that she wasn't seeing, wasn't understanding, the person she saw on the surface was very genuine and kind...and a little too reserved and willing to surrender to their whims, but that was alright. "Let's do it, then!" She started the first episode, already making plans for them to binge and plotting when to throw in the movies for him to watch between which sets of episodes. It was going to be a great time. 

Lance made himself comfortable on the bed, his back against a couple of pillows to support him in a comfortable way and a blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he watched Pokemon. He was being very attentive and observant as he watched, wanting to make sure he remembered certain things about the show so he could talk about it with Pidge and Matt later. As he watched, he wasn't thinking about anything else, which was great. It was a nice break for him, he needed it. 

Matt had a feeling that he and Pidge had done something good. He could tell that Lance needed this. Needed a good distraction. He hoped that they were able to help Lance in this way, and he hoped that whatever was going on, they could provide some comfort and friendship for Lance.

 

***

"Thank you! Have a good week!" Shiro waved at his boss before turning to pick up Riley and Luna from his classroom. No one knew the students were currently living with their teacher, and he figured it was best to keep it that way for now, so it didn't cause conflict with their school life. "Come on, kids. Time to head home! Want to stop by a burger joint?" He asked as they ran to either side of him and grabbed his hands. Fast food every day wasn't good for the kids, but they'd never experienced all these different foods, so he figured it was okay for now.

Riley's eyes widened at the mention of burgers. He /loved/ burgers. Sir never liked them, so papa barely ever made them. "Can we?!" He asked excitedly, jumping up and down. Although he was excited about burgers, he was still very excited to get home to see Papa, they had a great day today and he hoped that papa did too. 

 

Shiro ruffled Riley's hair with a fond smile as they got back to the car. The kids' excitement always brightened Shiro's day and made simple things like going out to grab food fun, especially since it was often a first time for them. He wanted to show them so much, to give them a more normal childhood. Lance, too. He wanted to show Lance the world through a more normal lifestyle, one that wasn't so demanding of him, one that didn't require him to be a certain way. He was going to do whatever he could to give that to this family.

Pidge kicked back and enjoyed marathoning alongside Lance and Matt, but she didn't miss the sound of a car door slamming from outside, ears perking. She got up to go check, nodding at Matt to stay with Lance before rushing off to the door. Sure enough, and right on time, Shiro came in, not needing her to open the door for him obviously since he had keys. He carried with him several McDonald's bags, and the twins were helping him carry stuff as they filed in. "Welcome back!" Pidge exclaimed, much more interested in the food than in anything else. The kids gently took their shoes off and stayed close to Shiro, which was a strangely cute sight as he ushered them along to the kitchen to set things down on the table.

Lance was far too invested in the show to hear the car, but he did notice when Pidge left. He sat up, looking worried. "Hey, where is she going?" He asked, a little paranoid. Even more so when he heard the door open. Who was here? 

Matt sat up too, setting a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Hey, calm down. She's fine, I think Shiro and the kids are home." He sighed as Lance tried to get up again, but didn't stop him when he heard Shiro's voice. 

Lance's worry faded away as he heard Shiro's voice. He smiled and pushed himself out of bed, walking info the kitchen where he was met with his two children screaming his name and running to give him a hug. He laughed and held his arms out for them, almost falling backward when they both collided with him in a tight hug. He winced as a shot of pain echoed through his ribcage. "Be careful, niños." He said softly, breathing through the slight pain and hugging his kids closely. He missed them so very much.

Shiro's face brightened more upon seeing Lance, and he let the kids run to him, going ahead to set their food down on the table. The then made his way back to the room they were in, edging his way over to Matt as they watched the family of three with a smile. "So how was it? Everything go alright?" He asked, knowing the Holt siblings must have picked up a few things about the situation already.

"Look, look!" Luna held up her bag. "There are chicken nuggets in here, and Shiro got us milkshakes, too! They're..." She looked around and gasped. "They're in the kitchen! Come on!" She tugged on him so they could show him the milkshakes Shiro had bought for them. Shiro had explained about who the other two in the house were already, but she wanted to talk to her papa first. She already liked them though since she was pretty sure they were twins, just like her and Riley.

Lance laughed and took Luna's hand, Riley quickly grabbing his other. He let them lead him to the kitchen to show him the milkshakes they got.

"Look, papa I got chocolate!! And it came with whipped cream and a cherry on top! But I already ate the cherry. I was trying to save it for you but...it just looked so good." he pouted, looking disappointed in himself. 

Matt crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching the three of them run into the kitchen. He looked at Pidge before looking back at Shiro, setting a hand on his shoulder. "It went fine, we taught him things, and hung out with him. But dude, you have a lot of explaining to do. I don't care if it's now or later but it's gotta be soon."

Luna set her bag down and raised the milkshake up for her papa to see. "It looks so good!" She followed that up by bringing the straw to her mouth so she could confirm just how delicious the milkshake was. 

Shiro grimaced, but nodded in understanding. If he wanted the Holt's help, which he most certainly did, they deserved to at least know what was going on with him. "I'll tell you later. Thanks a bunch for doing this; you two are the best." He followed the three into the kitchen and smiled as the kids beamed over everything they did to Lance, and he leaned against the wall to let them have their moment. He was eagerly waiting to be able to talk to Lance, though.

Pidge crossed her arms as she watched him follow them in, exchanging a look with her brother. She said nothing though. Honestly, the four of them looked like a family or something, so she didn't want to intrude. Of course, she would eventually, because if Shiro didn't buy her food for McDonald's she was going to be pissed.

Lance laughed, leaning on the counter as his kids took turns telling him about their day. He glanced over to where Shiro was standing, and smiled at him too. He wanted to hug him, but he thought maybe that might be a little weird...would it? He didn't know. Lance liked Shiro. And not in a friendship sort of way, or even as a protector. No, he liked Shiro in a teenage high-school crush kind of way. Lance had had a few brief crushes throughout school, but obviously they never went any further than that. But this, this was different. This was a real, head-over-heels crush, and Lance wasn't sure what he should do. His cheeks heated up a little as he smiled. He turned back to the kids, "Did you tell Shiro thank you?" 

"Of course we did, papa." Riley said, taking a sip of his milkshake. 

Lance sighed and looked back at Shiro. "Thank you. I hope you had as good of a day as they had."

Lance took the opportunity to join the conversation and walked over so he could take a seat at the table next to them. "The day was great! My class was a little sad that I was taking a leave for some time, but I assured them I'd be back." He was more than happy to be taking some time off, because while he did love working with his class of children, he really wanted to spend some time with Lance. They hadn't gotten to be around each other nearly enough, besides in a hospital, and he would prefer to spend time in a less gloomy environment. He reached for a bag and pulled out some fries, offering it towards Lance as Luna sat down next to him and copied him, reaching into her bag while drinking her milkshake with her legs swinging beneath her chair happily.

Lance offered a polite smile but shook his head, "No thank you, I'm not very hungry. Plus, you got this food for you and the kids, you should enjoy it." He knew that Shiro would get suspicious at some point, but he couldn't stop himself from lying. He was hungry, he felt like his stomach was eating itself. He was just so scared of the possibility--rather, /probability/ that there was a child beginning to grow inside of him. He just couldn't eat. It was the only way he could think of to keep the worst from happening. Or so he thought. 

Matt followed his sister into the room where the other four were as soon as they heard the bags and smelled the food. "You got us food, right?" He said as he walked in, unintentionally saving Lance from a further explanation of why he wasn't hungry. 

Riley didn't pay much attention to anything else around him, he just sat at the table, happily sipping his milkshake and eating his chicken nuggets. This was a great day.

Shiro sighed in surrender and passed a bag over. "Of course I got you food, Matt. Come on." The siblings sat at the table and grabbed at the bags, which Shiro found deeply amusing. As Pidge unwrapped a cheeseburger, she gasped and looked up at Lance. "Oops, you totally haven't eaten all day, have you?" Shiro followed her gaze to Lance, brows creasing in worry, and he pulled a chair out and patted it for Lance to sit down. "Lance...is something wrong? You should eat, it'll help give you more strength for recovery. I got food for you, too, here." He took a burger out from the bag and set it down for Lance.

Lance looked like a deer in the headlights, eyes wide and mouth open as if he were about to speak. "U-Um..." he couldn't come up with a good excuse. He took a deep breath, stepping toward the seat next to Shiro and sitting down slowly. He stared at the burger for a long time with his hands in his lap. He was trying to reason with himself, a baby wouldn't be able to grow if it was just...just a little cheeseburger...right? Finally, somehow it was decided that he would eat, but only half of the burger. Just enough to keep him alive, hopefully not enough to feed both Lance and a child. After what seemed like an eternity to the others around him, Lance finally picked up the burger and started taking small bites.

Shiro was getting more worried now, and he scooted his chair closer to Lance, hoping to offer some level of comfort. "Hey...Lance..." He started, but decided against it. For now, he just wanted to be able to see Lance eating, even if he did seem uncomfortable doing it. He would make sure Lance was okay when they weren't in the kitchen surrounded by a bunch of people.

"Papa! It's really good! Shiro said it's called 'fast food'! He says it isn't good to eat it too often! He said...hm..." She looked up thoughtfully, trying to remember all the things Shiro told her and Riley so she could tell her papa. "He says it's just okay every now and then, so don't worry! It's okay to eat it!" She beamed at him, thinking that was why he hadn't wanted to eat.

"Yeah don't worry, papa! It tastes really good and you can just eat it this one time if you want!" Riley chimed in, trying to make papa feel better just like Luna. 

Lance sighed and a faint ghost of a smile was on his lips before he was frowning again. He had tried his best to acknowledge his babies positively, but he was just so exhausted and broken. He was thinking about bad things again. Today was an amazing, relaxing day. But how long was that going to last? How long did Lance get to play house with this dream-come-true knight in shining armor and these new friends? How long until Lotor comes and takes back what is his? Tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly moved his gaze down to his lap to hide them. "Thank you, niños." he said shakily. "Um..." he said a bit louder, turning to grab the sleeve of Shiro's shirt to get his attention, even though he already had it. "I-I think I'm finished eating...I need to use the bathroom." He said quietly. "May I-I please be excused, Shiro?" He tried to speak quietly so the others wouldn't hear, but it didn't help that it was dead silent in the room and all eyes were on him. 

Matt watched with a frown. What happened? Lance was perfectly fine before these three came home. No, he was fine all the way up until Shiro offered him food. Okay, so he didn't want to eat. That was concerning, but it certainly didn't give Lance a reason to start crying. Matt looked at his sister with a worried look. What the hell was going on with this poor kid?

Shiro's eyes softened with sorrow and worry, and he moved his hand up to hold Lance's. "Of course. I'll even go with you. Matt, watch the kids." He trusted Lance trusted Matt enough to watch his kids as he stood up and squeezed Lance's hand reassuredly, starting in the direction of his bathroom. "Come on. I'll walk you there."

Pidge observed everything she could, eyes zeroing in on their intertwined hands and the looks on their faces. She still had no clue what was going on, but the reality of how severe things must be was really settling in now. Shiro would explain later; he would have to. For now, maybe the kids could tell them something, although she wouldn't bring up anything that might trigger trauma. If Lance was how he was, she didn't want to imagine the different possible scenarios that could have traumatized the kids, too. "So," she started casually. "Shiro's your teacher, right? What do you think of him?"

Riley had looked worried all the way up until papa said that he had to use the bathroom. Of course, he believed him. Papa never lied to them that they knew of, so he had no reason to think that it was a lie. He sat up straighter and smiled as he was asked what he thinks about Shiro. "Shiro is the best!" He exclaimed excitedly, "He helped Luna with her work, and he gets us new foods, and he saves us too! We like him and we think that papa loves him." He smiled, looking at Luna and giggling a little. 

Matt was smiling as Riley talked about how great Shiro was. He was right, Shiro was pretty great, but what caught his attention was when Riley mentioned that Shiro 'saves' them. He found it interesting that Riley chose that word. Though it could have just been an error of speech, the word implied that Shiro had saved them not once, but more, and is still 'saving them' from something. What could that be? "He's saving you?" Matt repeated without thinking. He knew he shouldn't have said it, he didn't want to trigger anything for these kids, but it just sort of...came out. He didn't mean to say it. He frantically searched the expressions of both of the children for any sign of upset he may have caused.

Unlike her brother, Pidge immediately latched onto the implication that Lance 'loved Shiro', because oh boy, that was some juicy stuff. She could totally see it, too. From the way he would grab onto Shiro and how he looked at and spoke to him, it honestly all screamed crush. And she didn't blame him. Shiro was pretty great, and the only reason he didn't have a partner in life was because he wasn't interested in anyone. Pidge really hoped things didn't end up turning into heartbreak for Lance.

Luna exchanged a look with her brother. She didn't think they should be talking about why they were in his house to strangers. "...Shiro let's us sleep in his bed." She said, sort of avoiding the question. "I love Shiro."

Meanwhile, Lance had walked slowly through the short hallway to the bathroom, Shiro on his heels. As the stress was getting worse, his steps got slower and his head spun faster. He stopped about halfway through the hall and put one hand on the wall, his other raising to his head. He felt sick and dizzy and he could barely breathe. He hated this. He hated that he did this to himself. He hated himself. He let out a breathy sob that didn't make much noise, but shook his whole body. His legs felt weak, but he refused to fall. He tried so hard to keep himself standing, leaning heavily on the wall and biting his lip in a desperate attempt to stop himself from crying any more. It was infuriating for him that he cried so much. This was his fault. He had a great day and he was happy, but all of a sudden he decided to fuck it up for himself for no reason and now he was here. He completely forgot that Shiro was behind him as he leaned against the wall, quietly crying and drowning in self hatred. 'God, why did Shiro save me..?' He thought to himself miserably. "I'm so pathetic..." he whispered to himself, voice full of hatred and anger.

Shiro approached Lance slowly from behind, reaching out carefully, knowing he couldn't afford to mess this up. He was confident in his ability to help people, though, so he grabbed Lance's shoulder, squeezing it a bit, before gently pulling. It wasn't hard enough to actually move Lance; it was only enough to suggest that Shiro wanted to hug him. To embrace him, and comfort him. But he didn't initiate it past that; it was up to Lance if he wanted to accept Shiro's invitation to enter his arms. However, Shiro did mutter his name as encouragement, to show what he wanted. "Lance..."

Lance jumped and whimpered when he felt the hand on his shoulder, calming himself a little bit when he realized it was only Shiro. He wanted the hug Shiro was offering, he wanted it so badly. He wanted more than anything to fall into his arms and sob into his chest. But he couldn't. He couldn't grow so dependant on Shiro...he would only break down completely when Shiro decided that it was time for Lance to leave. That thought made Lance stagger backward a little bit, falling against the wall and wrapping his arms around his stomach. He slowly slid down against the wall as his breathing picked up. His eyes were wide and overflowing with tears as he shook his head. "I-I-I can't...y-you'll just...I-I'll just..." he shivered and choked on his breaths and cries as he shook hysterically. He was completely panicked now, thinking about what will happen when Shiro gets tired of him, when he kicks him out with the kids and Lance will have to live on the streets with the constant fear of Lotor finding them. There was no doubt about it, they would die. Or worse. Lance let out a panicked sob and gripped at his shirt tightly, digging his nails into the fabric and further into his skin. He flinched away as Shiro got closer to him. "No!" He whispered, "D-Don't look a-at me...I-I..." his voice broke and he let out another sob, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I'm so pathetic..please...please don't make me leave, Shiro I'm so sorry!" He cried, resting his head against the wall and shaking violently. The poor thing was destroying himself in so many more ways than one. He was so broken…

Shiro's heart broke a little as he watched Lance cowering away from him, and it hurt to know that he wouldn't accept Shiro's comfort, but he understood it. Everything about this situation was harder on Lance than it was for anybody else. Shiro slowly turned and slid his back down the wall, so that he was just sitting next to Lance without touching him. He took a few deep breaths before looking up. "...it happened when I was barely an adult," he started slowly, not making eye contact with Lance and just focusing on telling his story. "I'd been an orphan most of my life. Never knew my parents. I guess that's why I connect well with other people like me." His mind briefly wandered to Keith before he continued. "I had just turned 18 not too long ago, and because of my upbringing, I loved volunteering for programs that let me help kids. It was always my passion; helping other people. Helping kids who's parents weren't there, or were abusive in some form. Naturally, a lot of these kids ended up being rebellious, or found themselves in trouble more often than not." He rose his prosthetic arm up so both he and Lance could look at it. 

"...it was late at night. The kids snuck out to go looking for trouble, and I was working late hours. It was my responsibility to go after them. It was dark out, of course, and the driver must've not been all there, so that just makes for a double disaster. I did save the kids, but, my arm....didn't make it." He lowered the prosthetic to his lap and sighed. "After a bit of surgery, my arm was amputated, and I ended up with this replacement. When I finally went back to work, I'll never forget the faces of those kids who snuck out that day." He smiled to himself a little. "They looked so guilty. They thought I would hate them, just like everyone else in their life. They thought that a mistake would automatically mean I wouldn't want them around anymore...but that's a fool's way of thinking. If I care about somebody, I'm going to care about them." He finally turned to Lance. 

"If I care about somebody, it doesn't matter how much trouble they think they're worth. I'll give my other arm if it means I can save people who deserve saving. I know it's cliche, and unrealistic, wanting to view the world in all this justice. I know. But I want to be able to do whatever I can, for whoever I can, to be the change in this messed up world where all anybody ever cares about is whether you're an alpha or an omega." He reached over with his prosthetic hand, grabbing Lance's hand. "And that goes double for the people I care about...like you."

Lance held his breath as he listened to Shiro's story, but by the end, tears were pouring down his cheeks. He curled in on himself farther, shaking violently and sobbing. "I-I'm not..." he choked, "I-I can't be saved, S-Shiro..." his voice was so weak and empty that he even shocked himself. "It's too late..." he whispered, his free hand slowly moving to the darkly bruised bite mark on his neck. "He owns me...I-I'll never e-escape him..." he said shakily, clawing at his skin. "He owns me and he's going to take me back! H-H-He's going t-to take my babies...I-I..." there was a sharp intake of breath before he let it out in the same second and confessing his biggest fear, all in one quick breath, 

"Shiro I-I th-think I'm p-p-pregnant..." He sobbed, his hand moving back to grip at his stomach, clawing at his skin there too as if he could cancel the pregnancy just like that. As he voiced his deepest, most terrifying thought, he felt incredibly nauseous. He shouldn't have said it. No, he should never have said it out loud. Now Shiro would surely kick him out. Shiro didn't want to deal with that! Lance covered his mouth as he coughed and cried hysterically. He was getting sicker and sicker, and this wasn't helping his panic. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. I'm s-so s-s-sorry, oh g-god..."

Shiro's eyes widened upon hearing that, his heart dropping to his stomach like a stone. He stared at Lance, eyes traveling down to where he was gripping his stomach, observed the way he was keeled over, and suddenly, he was afraid too. "Lance..." He reached out slowly. "Lance, listen to me...it's okay. You don't have to worry about Lotor...he can't touch you so long as I'm here. I'll never give you up, and..." He trailed off, biting his lower lip when his eyes traveled down to Lance's stomach again, his words echoing in his head. "Listen to me...if you are, then it's okay...it's okay, Lance. I...we can work it out. Don't apologize, please." He tried cupping Lance's cheek in his palm, feeling his own heart beating faster anxiously. "Please, listen to me. You're safe here. Your babies are safe here. And if there's another baby...they're safe here, too. I won't turn away from someone I care about, remember?"

Lance shook his head weakly, trembling so hard. "You sh-shouldn't ca-care about me, Shiro you don't kn-know any of awful things I've done..." he sobbed desperately, Lotor's cruel words echoing in his mind. 'No one knows that your body is a graveyard for your own children. But I do, and you do too.' Lance continued to claw at his stomach, his hand had somehow slipped under his shirt and he was starting to draw blood now. "I can't d-do this..." he whimpered, his face paling. "I can't do t-this, Shiro! I-I just..." he was at a loss for words. He was just a mess as he sat there, sobbing and shaking on the floor. "I'm so fucking scared..." he gasped weakly, digging his fingernails into his side and squeezing Shiro's hand tightly.

Shiro's eyes widened in alarm when he saw the blood. "Lance, stop!" He got slightly more forceful than he wanted to, but there was no other choice as his hands gripped Lance's, restricting his movement. He pressed their foreheads together, desperate. "Lance, listen to me. I don't care about any of that stuff because I don't know any of it. All I know is you, the one I've fought to protect until now. The one that's fought to protect himself. You can't change my mind because...because I do care about you already, and there's no going back on it, just...listen!" He clenched his teeth together, getting more desperate for Lance to listen to him by the second. He gazed down at the blood again, then at Lance's shivering and his wide eyes, and Shiro couldn't take it. "I'm here for you." He pressed his lips to Lance's, trying to silence his whimpers and to physically stop his lips from quaking. Their first kiss.

Lance's eyes widened, tears still falling from them. His heart felt like it would burst right out of his chest. He slowly and shakily closed his fingers around Shiro's hands as well as he could with the way Shiro was holding them. His tired blue eyes filled with more tears as they slowly fell closed and he finally pressed his lips back against Shiro's. He was still shaking, but now it was less because of his panic attack and more because of his relief and joy. Shiro was /kissing him/ which meant he probably liked Lance back, and that made his heart soar. The fact that Shiro was doing this even after Lance told him he might be pregnant...even after everything Lance has put him through. Even after all of that, Shiro was still kissing him, and suddenly that was all that mattered. 

When they broke apart, Lance opened his eyes, letting the tears fall faster, a little sob escaping his lips as he fell against Shiro and clung to him, fitting perfectly in his arms. That was the first time Lance had ever in his life kissed someone. Of course, Lotor had kissed him before, and the experience was awful, dominating and violent, but Lance never once kissed him back unless he was threatened. So technically speaking, Shiro was Lance's first consented kiss, and it was everything Lance had ever dreamed it would be. Shiro really was his knight in shining armor, and it was so hard to believe. He buried his face in Shiro's neck, his small shaking form cuddled up in his arms. 

"Don't let me go..." he whimpered in a whisper, his voice shaky and desperate, but full of relief and quite a bit more calm than before. His cheeks were burning too, of course. How could they not be? His first crush just gave him his first real kiss. It was almost like Lance was a teenager again. He smiled weakly at that thought as he leaned heavily against Shiro.

Shiro's arm wrapped around Lance's back, body still on fire from what had just happened. He didn't experience much physical intimacy ever, so this all seemed completely foreign to him as he held Lance close and let their bodies rest into each other. He tilted his face downwards into Lance's neck, breathing deeply while their hands squeezed each other. He was almost too out of it to register that Lance had indeed kissed him back, although whether he did it just to kiss back or for some other reason Shiro wasn't aware. That wasn't as important right now as the fact that he had successfully calmed Lance down, though. "Lance..." He whispered, protectiveness coming to the forefront of his voice. "This house is your house now, as much as it is mine." He pulled his face back from Lance's neck so they could look each other in the eyes, noses hair-lengths apart. "Please...think of this as home." He held Lance closer, squeezing him as much as he dared. "Don't /you/ let /me/ go. Stay with me. Stay where I can keep you safe."

Lance stared into Shiro's eyes as he spoke, tears slipping from his again. He closed his eyes after a while and let out a shaky breath, pressing his forehead against Shiro's. "You...you really want us to stay here..? You don't...you don't have to do this.." he said softly, his grip on Shiro's hand saying differently. Lance needed Shiro, and they both knew it. "W-Will you really protect us from now on? I-I mean I know t-that you will, I trust you..I just...you don't have to give up your home for us.." He whispered, trying his best to get his point across. He felt so guilty for being such a burden.

"Shhh..." Shiro quieted Lance gently, heart still twisting from all the events that had just occurred. His fingers pushed into Lance's hair gently as they hugged, and he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. "Yes...of course. It...it can get lonely around here, and...I've been alone for a long time." He took a deep breath, admitting these things to himself for the first time, too. It was the first time he was hearing this as much as it was Lance's first time. "I was so excited to take time off from work to spend time with you...I've never had this before." His hand continued stroking the back of Lance's head as he buried his face in Lance's neck again, showing him that it wasn't just him that needed Shiro. It went both ways. "I want to be allowed to fight for you."

Lance let go of Shiro's hand and wrapped his arms around his neck. He set one hand on Shiro's cheek and pulled away so Shiro would lift his head. When he did, Lance shyly moved to touch his lips to Shiro's once again. He hoped that this was okay, he just enjoyed the feeling so much. The feeling that someone truly cared about him, cared enough to kiss him, to like him more than just a stranger that he pitied. He wanted it to be like this forever, to be able to kiss Shiro like this whenever he wanted. But he knew that it was too good to be true, Shiro would get tired of Lance soon enough. Even with that thought in mind, Lance was willing to risk that. He wanted to be with Shiro forever, Lance felt more safe here than he has ever felt anywhere else, and that was a revelation. Shiro was his revelation, really. He was his safety and happiness. Shiro was everything that Lance had ever dreamed of, his real life knight. When he pulled away, he smiled his broken smile and rested his forehead against Shiro's again. "Thank you..." he whispered, his fingers running through Shiro's hair. "You're allowed to fight for me.." he laughed a little, "I'll fight for you t-too..."

Shiro sighed into Lance. It felt like a huge weight had suddenly been lifted from him after that kiss, like he'd wanted to hold Lance like this and look at Lance like this for a very long time. He slumped down, and they just stayed cuddled in the hallway against the wall for quite some time before Shiro spoke up again. "We'll work through this. If you are pregnant, it's okay. Whatever you need, I'll provide it for you. And whatever the kids need, I'll provide it for them. You're going to have a happy life, a long life, and your kids are going to be happy, too." He kissed Lance's forehead, holding his lips there for a good, long while before slowly backing away and holding his hand to help Lance to his feet. "...that's all it'll take to make me happy."

After he stood, Lance took in a deep breath, closing his eyes before smiling weakly and breathing out. A few stray tears slipped down his cheeks as he opened his eyes again, nodding, "Okay..." he whispered, wrapping his arms around Shiro's waist and hugging him. "Thank you so much." He breathed. There was a long silence before he spoke again, "I don't deserve you..." he leaned against Shiro sleepily, his head had stopped spinning and he felt much better than he did before, but he was thoroughly exhausted after his panic attack.

Shiro rocked their bodies back and forth a bit, arms wrapped tightly around Lance, before he began taking them in the direction of the guest room. "Come on. Let's get you in your bed." That's right. It was Lance's bed now. He mentally apologized to Keith as he lead Lance into the room and over to the bed, setting him down. He signed, realizing that he, too, was tired, especially after everything that'd just happened. Retelling his story was pretty draining, after all. He sat down on the bed with Lance, fingers stroking through his hair, and took out his phone. After a quick text to Matt telling him to get the kids in their room and that he'd talk to them an explain things to them later, he let Lance lay down and scooted close. "...you mind if I sleep here with you?" The bed was big enough, after all, and sleeping with Lance sounded incredible. "I've never slept with another person in my bed before..." He admitted.

Lance immediately curled up in the bed, focusing on Shiro's fingers running through his hair. This was perfect. This was what he had always wanted. He smiled softly when Shiro asked to sleep next to him. He opened his pretty blue eyes, moving his hand to grab Shiro's and tug him closer, "Of course, come lay with me." He sighed as he thought over his words, "Technically I've never /willingly/ slept in a bed with anyone before, so it's a new experience for both of us." he smiled sadly.

Shiro immediately snaked his arm around Lance's waist and pulled him close until they were spooning, with Lance being the little spoon, of course. He wanted to give him as much comfort as possible, so he let Lance's entire body curl backwards into his, and god, the boy fit so perfectly against his chest, he was just so much smaller. Shiro squeezed them close together without injuring him, offering Lance all of his body warmth before pulling the blanket over them. "Shh...come on. Let's enjoy this." He sighed with content. He honestly never thought this would happen. He never saw him and Lance ending up here, and it was funny when he thought back to their first time meeting over Luna's grades. Life really was whirlwind of unpredictable events. 

Pidge groaned as Matt showed her Shiro's text, rubbing her temple. The kids were done eating now, so that was something. "Hey, your dad and Shiro are sleeping, so why don't we get you all to your room yeah?" She suggested.

Lance smiled and laced his fingers with Shiro's, holding his hand tightly as they laid together. He sighed softly and cuddled into the blanket Shiro pulled over them both. He was comfortable, and he felt safer here than he had ever felt. He was laying in a soft, warm bed, with Shiro holding him close. He was safe. He closed his eyes, his breathing evening out slowly. "Don't ever let me go.." he whispered seconds before he fell into a deep, well-needed sleep. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Lance was able to fall asleep relaxed and happy. And it was all thanks to Shiro.

When Pidge told them that papa and Shiro were asleep, Riley looked at Luna with a little knowing smirk. He was so happy that papa was able to be comfortable around Shiro and that Shiro liked their papa too. Riley hoped that maybe they would like each other so much that Shiro could be their dad some day. He would be so much better than sir. "Okay." He smiled at Shiro's two friends named Pidge and Matt. He was tired, so he didn't mind going to bed now. He just wished papa would have been able to say goodnight, but it was okay, as long as papa was alright. 

Matt sighed and stood up, "Alright, let's get you kiddos ready for bed then. Do you have any pajamas or anything here?" He asked, not quite sure how long they've been staying here.

Luna was ecstatic to hear about her papa and Shiro, simply because she knew that right now, Shiro was probably making him feel safe, just like he did for her and Riley. She followed Pidge and Matt back to Shiro's room, and her eyes widened when she saw the TV. "Hey, what is that?" She pointed at the screen.

"Huh? Oh." Pidge said, noticing that they had totally forgotten to turn the TV off, meaning Pokemon was still there. She was about to apologize, but then she saw the glow in the kid's eyes, and a grin appeared on her face. "I'm so glad you asked! Here, why don't I show you." She grabbed the remote, totally ready to convert more people. Pokemon was /technically/ for kids, anyways.

Matt rolled his eyes with a smile as the kids climbed into bed and watched the TV with big eyes as Pidge pressed play. "Pidge, it's probably a good idea to have them go to sleep. I'm pretty sure they're going to school tomorrow even though Shiro isn't." As much as he was all for teaching the kids about Pokemon, Shiro trusted him to be the responsible one. 

Riley whined and fell back into the pillows, "Awh! But I wanna watch this!" 

Pidge snickered behind her hand. "Aw come on. I gotta teach them how to rebel at least a little. This is the perfect time to stay up and watch stuff! Isn't that right kids?" She winked at them.

Luna giggled and bounced on the bed a bit, nodding. "I wanna watch! I wanna watch!" She declared. Surely it was okay to not go to sleep to watch something just once? She was already adopting Pidge's mindset. 

Matt sighed before sitting on the bed too, "Fiiine. But if you guys are tired tomorrow, don't blame me." he shrugged, leaning back against the bedframe. 

Riley squealed and crawled closer to Matt, sitting next to him, but just under the covers. "You guys are the best!" he smiled big. "You should be our aunts and uncles! A lot of kids in our class have those and they say they're really cool like you guys!" 

"Oh, look, Matt. We're already being adopted into the family." Pidge snorted. It was amusing how the kids were offering to adopt them as their aunt and uncle, but hey, she was down for anything. She could see something was up between Lance and Shiro, and she didn't mind sticking around to find out what they would develop into.

They stayed up for quite a while watching Pokemon before they sent the kids to bed and figured they should also head home. They wanted to know what was going on, but obviously they would have to wait to hear the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve! Starting off this new year with some Shance lovin ❤️❤️


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Shiro decide to have their very first date, and all goes very well. That is, until it doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long since the last update! At least it's felt like that. I'm so sorry! Everything has been crazy lately. Usually I like to proof read the chapters before I update them, but I couldn't find the time to fully go through this one, so I apologize for any god-awful typos you might find. I do believe there is a triggering scene in this chapter, however. Here are the trigger warning details: 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Non-Consentual actions and a Panic attack. (There's no rape, but things get pretty close.)
> 
> Please read with caution, my loves. And enjoy this chapter to the best of your ability!

Shiro woke up first in the morning, not even needing his alarm since he was so used to waking up around this time. Upon feeling Lance spooned against him, he smiled and sighed, wanting to stay like this to the ends of time. But, alas, that was impossible. "Hey..." He whispered to Lance, shaking him gently. "Did you want to send the kids to school with me?" That was really their one option so that Lance wasn't home alone, and he knew he couldn't ask Pidge and Matt to just live with him. They had a home and a family of their own to be around.

 

Lance hummed sleepily and rolled over, smiling softly when he saw Shiro behind him. "Hey..." He rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes with his fist before resting his arm on his forehead. He sighed deeply and frowned at nothing in particular. "It's that time already?" He breathed. He was very tired, and though he had likely just gotten the best sleep he had ever had, he still felt slightly exhausted. He glanced at the clock and sighed, of course it was that time again. "Alright. I'm up." He mumbled, sitting up in the bed, a little wobbly at first. "Do you have enough ingredients for me to make pancakes?" He yawned as he spoke, then looked at Shiro expectantly, waiting for an answer. Lance was quite good at mornings. Though he hated them, he was able to get up and get a lot of things done before taking the kids to their bus, or even before Lotor left for work. He was quite the worker when it came to mornings, but of course, that was back when he would get beaten if he missed a spot while cleaning. He sort of /had/ to be productive then. Now though, it was really just a habit.

 

Shiro chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head as he sat up completely. "Oh. Uh..." He hesitated, coughing a bit. "...ingredients for pancakes? I...don't know?" His cheeks flushed a bit because he was so bad at this, he had no clue what you even needed for pancakes and certainly didn't have a box of pancake batter or anything. "I uh...don't have very many things in my kitchen aside from microwavable food. The rest I get from eating out..." He admitted. He knew that wouldn't work for Lance and the kids though. They needed better food than what he could give them, but he never had anything in the house that could be used to cook. To someone like Lance, who he had heard was an incredible cook from the kids, this must've looked lame, and that just made Shiro's stomach twist a bit.

 

Lance sighed and shook his head, giving Shiro a scolding look, "Well, I'll check the kitchen, but we should go shopping today if that's alright with you. I will not tolerate you eating out so often. You're doing so much for my family and I, so the least I can do is get you on a healthier diet." He said as he stood up, stretching his arms up in the air and standing on his tiptoes. He turned to Shiro and took both of his hands, pulling him so he would stand up out of bed. "If you don't want to go shopping today, that's alright. I mean, I'm gonna need to go at some point, but...we can go whenever, because I don't really um...have any money..so it's really your call. I don't want to force you or anything-" he rambled on and on, his hands still in Shiro's. He looked quite determined when he was scolding Shiro about his eating habits, and even now, despite the hesitation and 'only if you're okay with it's, he still sounded confident.

 

Shiro lowered his head a bit at Lance's scolding, but despite all of it, he couldn't help but smile to himself. He liked seeing Lance like this; he liked seeing all the other layers Lance had that he had yet to show to Shiro. He wanted to learn more about him as a person, and knowing that he cared enough about Shiro's health was nice. He wasn't going to argue any time soon, so he took a step forward so he was closer to Lance. "...okay. One condition though." His eyes slowly traveled down to Lance's stomach, expression bittersweet since there was a lot they would need to figure out still. But they would be okay. Shiro would make sure of that. "You can make sure I eat healthier...but only if you stay healthy, too. If you eat every meal with me."

 

Lance looked hesitant at that. Before Shiro finished, he was looking straight up at him, but now, he was looking down, arms wrapped around his stomach. "I...b-but what if..." he didn't finish, what he was thinking was -in his eyes- an awful way of thinking. He knew he shouldn't starve himself because he was afraid he would be pregnant, but he was just so scared. The more he thought about it though, the more he knew he had to accept Shiro's condition. So, he took a deep breath and leaned forward so his forehead rested on Shiro's shoulder. "Okay..." he whispered. "I'll try my best." He promised.

 

Shiro let his hands wander around behind Lance to stroke though his hair as Lance rested his forehead against Shiro's chest. "We'll both try our best." He promised, wanting to kiss the top of Lance's head, but hesitating. Things still weren't 100% confirmed on what was and wasn't okay, so he just kept it simpler and hugged him. Simple was good sometimes, anyways. "It'll be okay. Whatever happens, it'll be okay. You and I and your kids will be okay if we stand together like this." He assured, cupping Lance's cheek in his hand. They stared into each other's eyes for a while before Shiro turned back to the door. "Well, we should wake the kids, huh..."

 

Lance was completely lost in Shiro's eyes. He couldn't bring himself to look away, Shiro was just so handsome. Lance wanted to kiss him. God, he wanted to kiss him so bad. He was nervous though, he was never one to initiate anything ever, partly because of his status. Maybe it was just his lovesick imagination, but by the way Shiro was looking at him, he was sure that he would lean down and kiss Lance right then. But no...he turned away. Lance's heart dropped into his stomach and before he could think anything over, he spoke up. "S-Shiro!" He said quickly, his cheeks heating up as he waited for Shiro to turn back to him. His face was beet red by the time Shiro turned around, he had realized what he had done, and that he didn't actually have a further plan. He just stared at Shiro with a look of longing, waiting for him to say anything. He still wanted to kiss him so badly, but he didn't know how to ask...maybe he needed to just ask him directly? He didn't know...his face was so red.

 

Shiro's heart dropped in his chest when he turned back to Lance. There was something about his voice, something about his face...maybe it was just because Shiro wasn't used to this type of intimacy, but it was so easy, too easy for Lance to get him all riled up. Lance was waiting for him, he could tell. He wanted Shiro as badly as Shiro wanted him. His hand traveled up to caress Lance's cheek, which was as red as Shiro's, before he leaned down. "Lance..." He whispered, lips trembling. But when they pressed against Lance's, when they kissed each other, his lips became stable, and his head became so clear yet so hazy all at the same time. It was impossible to describe what it was like kissing Lance, so he didn't bother as his arms wrapped around Lance's midsection and supported him tightly into the kiss.

 

Lance was so glad that Shiro was able to read his eyes, or his mind; whatever, it didn't matter. He was just happy that Shiro kissed him. Lance couldn't help but smile into the kiss after Shiro whispered his name and wrapped his arms around his waist. The kiss made him feel the same way the first one did. Safe, loved and wanted. The feelings he had longed for his whole life, the feelings that he never thought he would ever feel. But now he was, and he never wanted it to end. Lance barely registered any thoughts during the kiss, he only focused on the feelings. Somewhere along the way, he had slipped his arms up around Shiro's neck and pulled him closer. The kiss was soft and loving, it only lasted a couple of moments, but it felt like a lifetime and a half for Lance, and he wished it had been longer. He really did feel like a lovesick teenager.

 

Through the kiss and just everything in general, Shiro was able to come to one conclusion; Lance was touch-starved. It wasn't even really that, more like he was love-starved. He had been denied any form of loving physical attention for his entire life, or so Shiro could assume, and he was desperately in need of it now. He needed that validation, that sense that he wasn't worthless, and that someone actually did care about him. And Shiro did care about him, and he was more than willing to be Lance's rock...or as he had put it: his knight in shining armor. After their kiss ended, Shiro grabbed a hold of Lance's hands, not wanting to let go of him. "Come on. Let's go get the kids together."

 

When they pulled away, Lance couldn't stop smiling. It was a small smile, a bit weak and shaky as well as a little tired. Of course it wasn't perfect, it might never be. Lance had just been through so much, but at the moment, he was ecstatic. He almost felt like crying. He looked into Shiro's eyes with his small smile and nodded as he spoke. "Mhm.." he said sweetly before letting go of one of Shiro's hands, just one, just so they could both walk. He lead Shiro around the bed and out of the room, and they walked together to wake the kids up.    
  
The kids were fast asleep in Shiro's bed, cuddled up together under the blankets. Since Shiro saved them from that terrible house, they'd been able to get so much more sleep.

 

Shiro and Lance shared a smile as they watched the kids sleeping closely. It made sense that the twins needed to be close while sleeping; their childhood had been awful and traumatizing. He almost didn't want to wake them...but there wasn't much of another choice, obviously. He let Lance do the waking; parenting was Lance's expertise, after all, while Shiro's was teaching. The way the kids woke up and immediately smiled at Lance like it was a routine warmed Shiro's heart. It was apparent that, even in their hell of a home, Lance had somehow managed to make the kids always ready to wake up with a smile. They had somehow been raised with happiness, despite everything.   
  
Luna yawned and scooted towards her papa, accepting his morning hugs and kisses. "Good morning papa..." she mumbled. She and Riley hadn't gotten such good sleep in a while, but not only were things easier for them now, but Shiro's bed was unbelievably comfortable.

 

Riley yawned and curled up in the blankets, peeking at his papa with one eye. "Good morning, papa...can we sleep longer today?" He mumbled, not wanting to get out of the cozy bed.    
  
Lance laughed and shook his head. He had already tugged Luna into a full cuddling embrace. "I'm sorry, mijo, but you have to go to school. Now come over here so papa can give you wake-up loves."    
  
Riley sighed, mentally saying goodbye to the cozy warm bed as he crawled out from under the blankets and into Lance's arms, resting his head in the crook of his neck. Lance cuddled them close, giving them both kisses on their foreheads and noses before letting them go. "Alright, up up." He ordered in a motherly tone, standing and clapping his hands together. Both children did as they were told, slipping out of bed. Riley began to pull the blankets over, making the bed, but Lance shooed him away, "I'll do that, baby. You and Luna go get your teeth brushed." The children were already dressed, since they really didn't have any clothes to change into. Lance noted that they'd need a bath tonight after school as well. The hospital had been kind enough to provide toothbrushes to both children after considering their position. Lance wouldn't be emotionally able to return to that house to retrieve any of their things, and technically Shiro was not legally allowed to do so.

 

Shiro watched the entire scene with a smile. Lance really was incredible. As the kids walked past him towards the door, they gave him small waves before quickly hugging onto his legs, which startled him. He hadn't expected them to hug him, but he wasn't complaining, and he patted their messy hairs before letting them go off to the bathroom. He and Lance were going to need to do a lot of shopping today while the kids were in school. Luckily, for all his life, Shiro had been providing for mostly only himself and no one else, so he did have a good amount of money saved up, although he did donate to charity services every now and then. Obviously this was more important to him at the immediate moment, though. They would have to get all the things the kids would need. He waited for Lance to finish with the bed, which honestly Shiro never did so Riley was already one step ahead of him for even wanting to do that. "Hey. We can stop by and get them some breakfast somewhere before school, does that sound okay?"

 

Lance sighed in response as he finished making the bed. He'd have to go back to the other room to do the same, as he was a little too distracted to do it before. "That's alright, but only because you probably don't have the ingredients I need for pancakes. Hopefully today we will be able to get some needed groceries so that I can start making meals here. It's not healthy to eat out all the time." He repeated his lecture about healthy eating as he stood up and turned around setting his hands on his hips. "Now, I need to go back into the other room to make the bed and I'll be ready to go when you are. The kids should be done brushing their teeth and packing up their backpacks in a few minutes, they know their routine."

 

Shiro couldn't help but grin in amusement at Lance taking control. He wasn't opposed to it, in fact, he quite liked it, which was why it made him grin. "As you wish." He knew his diet wasn't the healthiest thing in the world. He only ever ate home-cooked food when Matt was forced to bring over food from Colleen, who, much like Lance, refused to let him live off of restaurant food. In fact, Lance reminded him quite a bit of Colleen Holt. The lady was one powerful mother. They would probably get along very well. Additionally, speaking of Matt, Shiro would have to talk to him and Pidge about things some time soon...it wasn't like he was dreading it or anything. Honestly, their help would be much appreciated. It helped having two brainiacs on his side. He would just have to get Lance's permission, first.

 

Lance laughed at Shiro's silly phrasing and rolled his eyes, sticking his tongue out like a little kid. He let his hands fall back to his sides and brushed passed Shiro, walking out of the room and making his way to the next one. "Kids, are you getting your bags ready for school? Shiro wants to take us to breakfast this morning so we must hurry!" He called, not really knowing which room his kids had run off into. He walked into the other bedroom and began making up the bed as he listened for any responses.    
  
"Yes, papa!" Riley called back, squealing when he heard that Shiro was gonna take them all to breakfast before school. Maybe they would go back to IHOP and see that pretty lady again!

 

Once they were done getting ready, Luna rushed out to see Shiro and her papa waiting for them by the door. She beamed seeing them together like that, ready to take them out together. They almost seemed like a family. She and Riley rushed to put their shoes on before they all filed into Shiro's car, and he started up. "Shiro, can we go for waffles again? I really want papa to see that place!"   
  
Shiro glanced back at her before chuckling. "If you want, then we can! I'm sure he'll love it there." Shiro started in the direction of IHOP as Luna clapped her hands and, along with Riley, began explaining all the great things about their breakfast even though they'd already gushed about it the first time in the hospital. It was adorable to Shiro.

 

Lance smiled as he listened to his children talk about how amazing this breakfast restaurant was. He glanced at Shiro every once in a while, laughing quietly at how adorable his babies were. Of course, he nodded along as they spoke, listening intently to almost every word. "I see, this place does sound fun." he smiled at Shiro. Lance had never been to a place like this. He had been to restaurants before, but only highly-expensive, fancy places that Lotor strictly limited the selection of things Lance was allowed to order. Until now, he didn't even know that there were certain restaurants exclusively for breakfast. This would definitely be a new experience for him.

 

Shiro shared glances with Lance, smiling the entire way until they arrived. They quickly sat down, with Shiro next to Lance just across from Luna and Riley, and Shiro found his hand traveling over to hold Lance's. He wanted to give him all the loving and caring he craved, both physically and emotionally. This was going to be a nice day. Him and Lance going shopping a bunch of places together...Shiro could honestly hardly wait. But for now, they were here, all of them eating breakfast together. He'd enjoyed it last time with the kids, but having Lance here to join them added an extra element to it. It was nice, and Shiro figured he wouldn't mind something like this more often now as they looked through the menu. Luna and Riley were eyeing the waffles section again.

 

Lance sighed in contentment as he accepted Shiro's silent offer to hold hands. He laced his own fingers with Shiro's as he observed the menu. He was getting slightly more anxious with every different food choice that he read. He wasn't sure what he could order and what he couldn't, or even what he wanted to be honest. He hadn't eaten in days, almost more than a week. Now that he thought about it, the last time he ate was days before the incident with Lotor even happened. First it was Lotor who was preventing him from eating, threatening to injure the children if he did. Then, once Lance was saved by Shiro, he had really done the rest himself. He sighed in distress and set the menu down, leaning on Shiro as he watched the kids stare excitedly at their own menus.    
  
"Shiro! Can I get the same thing I did last time? Chocolate chip pancakes?" Riley asked with big, excited violet eyes.

 

Luna bounced in her chair a little and nodded adamantly. "Me too, me too, me too!" She pointed at them on the menu for emphasis, because they had tasted sooooo good last time.   
  
Shiro chuckled at their bounciness. Classic children; when they found something they liked, they often just wanted to get that thing again and again. But Lance was with them this time, so he figured he would let him decide what his children could and couldn't order. Meanwhile, Shiro figured he would actually get something to eat this time, whereas last time he had just gotten coffee. The full breakfast plate looked good, coming with pancakes, eggs, and sausage. He noticed Lance put his menu down and rest against him, so Shiro leaned over a bit, worried. "...would you like to just share with me?"

 

Lance glanced to Shiro and took a breath before nodding, "I-If that's okay with you..." he said softly. He wasn't all that excited about starting to eat again, so he didn't really want his own meal anyway. He felt bad for sharing with Shiro though, he was probably hungry. "I-I could just get a side of something..you should have your own food." He said after a few seconds of thinking it over.    
  
Riley was upset by the fact that Shiro ignored their question. He was happy that he was giving papa attention, but they needed his attention too! "Shirooo!" He whined, tapping impatiently on the picture of the chocolate chip waffles.

 

Shiro chuckled and squeezed Lance's hand tighter, leaning forward a bit in a maybe-kiss. "You don't have to force yourself. We can start getting you back on food slowly and work your way back up to normal, so you don't get sick. Okay? Besides, um...the idea of sharing food with you like this is..." He trailed off, embarrassed to be saying this, but he figured Lance would love the cheesiness. Thankfully, Riley cut him off, and he took the opportunity. "Oh! I'm sorry." He laughed nervously some more, and was suddenly much more decisive. "Uh, yes! Kids, order whatever you want!"   
  
Luna beamed in excitement and began twisting her head around in search of a waiter or waitress so she could make her order.

 

Lance's cheeks heated up with a blush as Shiro got closer. '...is what?' he wanted to say, but didn't. He was very curious about this, he wanted to know what Shiro was about to say. He was sad that he missed an opportunity to kiss Shiro, but also slightly relieved. He wasn't sure if kissing in front of the kids, or rather, kissing in public, was a great idea. You never know who could be watching on behalf of Lotor. Lance shivered at the thought and leaned farther into Shiro with a shaky breath before looking up at his children. They were so adorable, they looked so very excited for these waffles, and he briefly wondered if these waffles were better than his own. He shrugged it off as a waiter bustled past their table before almost closing with a tall waitress with blue hair and magenta-colored eyes. They exchanged a couple of words, and the girl squeaked and clapped her hands together before glancing at Lance. He suddenly felt uncomfortable, and shrunk a tiny bit farther into Shiro. Soon, to Lance's discomfort, the blue-haired waitress more or less bounced up to the table. "Hey guys!" she said excitedly, "I'm so glad to see you again! Oooh I missed you cuties!" She bent down a little to tap Luna's nose before standing and turning to Lance with a large smile. "Oh! I'm so excited to meet you, sir! I'm Plaxum, I was their waitress a couple of days ago when they were here! I love your family, they're so great."    
  
Lance smiled shyly, giving the energetic woman a little wave. "I-I'm Lance..and thank you, my children are my pride and joy." He said softly, giving both children a loving smile.

 

Shiro smiled nervously, briefly thinking back to how he never explained he wasn't actually their father to avoid a confusing explanation. Now that Lance was here with him, she would definitely get the wrong impression...but somehow, he somewhat didn't mind? Being seen as their father figure...a family with Lance...he and Lance already confirmed they were interested in each other...he couldn't call himself part of this family yet, but he wanted to. He loved Lance, and he loved these children. "It's nice to see you again, too." Shiro greeted her with a curt nod.   
  
"We want this one again!" Luna exclaimed, pointing to the chocolate chip waffles, feeling much more confident doing the ordering since she sort of knew the waitress. She also wanted to show her papa she was a big girl and could order on her own.

 

Riley gave the girl a big smile as his sister ordered. Plaxum smiled back and pulled out her notepad, writing down the order, "Of course, cutie! Is that what you want too, sweetheart?" She asked, looking at Riley, who nodded eagerly. She laughed and nodded too, scribbling down an "X2" by the first order. She looked at Shiro and Lance, the same smile still on her face. "And how about you lovely boys?" She asked cheerfully. She was quite the positive woman for sure.    
  
Lance blushed shyly and leaned into Shiro, looking down at the menu, then to Shiro with worried eyes. He wasn't quite ready for socializing outside of Shiro, the Holts and his kids, so he just hoped that Shiro would just order and he could share like they'd talked about before. This woman seemed friendly enough, but Lance just wasn't sure. He was suspicious of everyone around him who wasn't one of the 5 people listed above. He knew what Lotor was capable of, and the thought terrified him.

 

Shiro squeezed Lance's hand reassuringly. It broke his heart to see him unable to talk to people, but he knew it was going to take some time. That was only natural after the trauma he had endured. "Number 4 on your breakfast meal please. That should do for us both. Thank you!" He was aware holding Lance's hand and having him lean into him made them seem even more like a couple, when they weren't exactly...but he could make that a concern some other time. This was their first time all eating breakfast out together; it was special. Shiro was just going to relish in this.

 

Plaxum nodded happily and jotted it down, "Alrighty! Does anyone need any drinks besides water?" She offered, looking around the table.    
  
Riley's eyes lit up and immediately moved to Shiro. "Shiro? Can I get hot chocolate again??" He asked excitedly. Lance looked at Shiro too, thinking it over and silently coming to the conclusion that hot chocolate sounded really good...he decided to wait for Shiro to answer Riley before he would ask for one himself.

 

Shiro was sure they may not be coming here for breakfast too often since Lance wanted to cook breakfast for them, so they might as well get everything they want right now. Either that, or Shiro was just a sucker for spoiling them. Or a combination of the two. "Of course you can. Milk for you, Luna?" He asked, turning to her, to which she quickly nodded her head. He smiled to himself; he was already getting to know the kids better. "Awesome. A coffee for me, brewed the same as last time, please. Sugar isn't my forte." He ran his thumb over Lance's wrist. "Did you want something?"

 

Lance blushed for no reason at all, he just blushed. He felt like he would blush every time Shiro layed his eyes on him, he felt very lucky to have Shiro. He glanced to the woman for a brief second before looking back at Shiro and nodding. "C-Can I...can I have hot chocolate too..?" He asked, his voice quiet and shy.    
  
Plaxum somehow heard him, even though he was turned toward Shiro and ultimately asking him instead of her. She squealed, "Awe! You're so cute! But back to my business, would either of you darlings like whipped cream on your hot chocolate?"    
  
Riley's nose wrinkled up in dramatic disgust and shook his head, but Lance, oh he made the cutest face. His pretty blue eyes lit up like sparks and he sat up a bit straighter, blush still on his cheeks from talking to Shiro, and partly from being complimented by the waitress. He looked at Shiro with big eyes without saying anything, he clearly wanted whipped cream. He absolutely /loved/ whipped cream. Just like everything else though, Lotor hated it, and would never let Lance buy it. He was never allowed to buy anything for himself either, so he hadn't really had whipped cream in years. He looked so excited.

 

Shiro's heart dropped twice within the span of one minute. The first time was due to Lance's initial request for hot chocolate, which sent a flush up Shiro's cheeks, especially when he saw Lance blushing. The second was the silent request for whipped cream, and just seeing Lance look so happy and energetic made Shiro want to kiss him. So he did; just a quick peck on the forehead, though, because he needed this boy to understand how much he was overwhelming Shiro right now. The only thing that took away from it was, well... "You know what to do." He nodded at the waitress with a smile to accept whipped cream before turning back down to Lance with a softer look. "You don't need my permission though...okay?" He continued running his thumb back and forth over Lance's wrist soothingly. He knew Lance wasn't yet ready to socialize with people, but having him asking Shiro for permission for something as simple as a drink really hurt Shiro's heart.

 

Lance felt his heart beating out of his chest after Shiro kissed his forehead, his cheeks pinker than they were before. He smiled softly while Shiro spoke to the waitress. She said something before walking away, but Lance was too busy blushing and freaking out like a school girl. His attention was gained back when Shiro began to talk to him again, he looked sad. Lance frowned as he told him that he didn't need his permission. "W-Well, of course I do, you're paying...and..and I have to ask you, y-you're...you're the a-alpha.." he tried to come up with reasonable answers, but he knew that he shouldn't have brought up their statuses, he knew that Shiro didn't like that. Of course, that is why Lance asked, as well as the fact that it's a habit he'd been forming for eight long years. He remembered vividly, Lotor's words as he was whipping him relentlessly that night. 'This will teach you a lesson not to try anything without my permission.' Lance was always beaten for doing things without permission, and even when he asked permission, he would likely be beaten to some extent. Not asking would seem like defiance, but asking seemed like desperation or greed, and he was reprimanded for both. He bit his lip to keep himself from being thrown into another panic attack or flashback as he moved his gaze to his lap.

 

Shiro looked Lance over sadly, but he knew Lance was just a product of his upbringing and the toxic relationship he'd been in for the past several years. That type of stuff didn't just disappear with a kiss. This wasn't the right place or the right time to talk about it, though, so he let it go with just a gentle squeeze of Lance's hand. He wanted to teach Lance that he was his own person, and even though Shiro would like for them to be together, he didn't want Lance to need his permission for anything.   
  
They waited patiently for a while until Plaxum came back with their stuff, the kids' faces lighting up at the sight of their breakfast. Shiro wiped away his sad expression, wanting the morning to stay positive. "Just eat as much as you can, okay?" He whispered to Lance, smiling when he saw Lance's hot chocolate with whipped cream. "Let's enjoy our first breakfast together."

 

Riley had already started eating, happily taking bites of his chocolate chip pancakes.    
  
Lance sighed as he saw the food, but smiled when Plaxum set the hot chocolate on the table in front of him, "There you go, sweethearts. I hope you enjoy your meal!" Plaxum said cheerfully before walking away. Oddly enough, Lance found himself craving all of the food on Shiro's plate, so really he had no problem with sharing, though in his mind, those cruel words still cut him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the warmth of Shiro's hand encasing his own. He was safe here with Shiro, it was okay, he would never let Lotor get Lance. So, with that thought, Lance grabbed a fork and timidly reached for some of the eggs on the plate. He glanced at Shiro, originally planning to ask permission, but then remembered their conversation just a few minutes ago. He didn't need Shiro's permission. This scared Lance, but he decided to try. Shiro would never hurt him, it would be okay. So he proceeded to take some eggs onto his fork, bringing it to his mouth and savoring the taste. It was then that he realized how long it had really been since he ate anything. Almost two weeks.    
  
Lance continued to share Shiro's food, continuously hesitating throughout the meal as his habits from before haunted him. Overall though, it was a good lunch, and Lance was very happy to have spent it with Shiro and his children. Today would be a good day.

 

Shiro kept an eye on Lance the entire time as they ate, brows creasing in worry when he hesitated and face brightening in delight whenever Lance sipped his hot chocolate. The fact that he was eating at all made Shiro even happier, and they were able to enjoy their breakfast together the entire way through. Once they'd each eaten their fair share, Shiro paid the bill and left behind another tip for Plaxum, whom the kids had definitely grown fond of, before they got back on the road. Admittedly, breakfast had gone slightly long, but they made it to the school in time for the kids to get to class.   
  
"Bye bye papa! See you soon!" Luna exclaimed, hugging Lance as the kids got out in front of the school's drop off area.

 

Lance smiled and kissed his daughter's forehead, "Goodbye, niños. Have a good day, okay? I love you both." He kissed Riley's cheek as he hugged Lance too before they both got out of the car and ran toward their friends. Lance watched them with a loving smile, taking a deep breath. He looked at Shiro and smiled at him too. "Thank you, Shiro. I enjoyed breakfast a lot, and it looks like the kids did too. They seem to really like that woman. She's a bit overly cheery, but she seems nice." he laughed a little.

 

Shiro laughed back, watching the kids run off with a sigh of contentment. Showing up at school and then dropping kids off, watching them go and not going himself...it was something he never imagined he'd be doing, since he was a single teacher. But this feeling...it was nice. "Indeed. She is quite nice, and good with kids." He began pulling out of the parking lot, double checking their seat belts before hitting the road. "Are you ready to go shopping? Any places you prefer? You can probably guess, but I'm not an expert when it comes to groceries." He laughed nervously. Grocery shopping for Shiro usually just meant finding easy, instant heat-up food.

 

Lance thought for a few seconds before answering, "Well I usually just go to the local grocery store. I...I um, had a time limit...o-on shopping days, so I couldn't go very far.." he cleared his throat, "After we get groceries, we should stop by goodwill to get some clothes for the kids." Goodwill was gross, it was a sketchy store where you could buy clothes and things that had already been used. Lance had been shopping there for years though, because it was the cheapest place to buy clothes, and Lotor got extremely upset when Lance spent too much money on things that weren't for him. Lance had little to no expierence in real shopping at all. He didn't want to overstep his bounds and spend too much of Shiro's money, so he didn't plan on going anywhere other than goodwill and the grocery store.

 

Lotor gave Lance several side glances, but did as he told for now. He could just tell from Lance's voice that the memories associated with shopping in the past weren't pleasant. He would change that. He knew exactly how. "Tell you what. Today's a friday. How about we go shopping for groceries and then walk around and enjoy downtown? We can look at all the sights and just admire shops...and then we can get lunch." He leaned one hand over to rest it on Lance's while keeping his prosthetic one on the wheel, obviously still keeping his eyes on the road. "...it can be like a date. How does that sound? And then, when the kids are done...we can go to the local mall, and the kids can choose clothes they like for themselves." He squeezed Lance's hand. "And you can, too." This was the beginning, and they needed clothes. This was something he wanted to get right. He wanted to show them how different life would be for them with him. He would make them feel on top of the world. He wanted to give Lance the world.

 

Lance's eyes lit up at Shiro's suggestions. A date? He had never been on one of those before! He had always wanted to, though. And the mall! He was very excited about the mall too, "The mall!" he exclaimed, "I remember my sister telling me about that! She said that it was super fun with lots of overpriced shops!" He giggled, but soon his smile faltered a bit. First because he missed his sister, then frowning because of the part he remembered her mentioning, everything there was quite expensive. "M-Maybe we shouldn't buy clothes from the mall, they're expensive, right? Maybe we should just look around..the kids would love it!" He smiled nervously. He didn't want to spend so much of Shiro's money, he felt awful. But that aside...he was going on a date. He couldn't hold back his smile any longer, and he squeezed Shiro's hand, "But I'm more than okay with the date idea." He said excitedly, looking at Shiro with his sparkly blue eyes.

 

Shiro smiled back at him, just as excited. He knew it wouldn't be easy for Lance to feel like he wasn't burdening Shiro; they'd have to work up to that. "It's okay, I promise. It isn't like we're gonna make the mall a regular thing; yet." The thought of being able to do more stuff together in the future made his chest tighten, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. But for now, it would be a special thing to get them nicer clothes. "I've been providing for just myself for years, so I've more than enough money for special occasions. Don't you worry about a thing." He locked their fingers together as they pulled into the parking lot of the local grocery store. He was excited to do shopping with Lance, but after this they would go on their downtown date, and that sounded especially fun. "Come. We can shop together, although it'll mostly be you." He laughed.

 

Lance smiled shyly, light dimples on the corners if his lips. He nodded quietly before getting out of the car. Obviously, he had to let go of Shiro's hand in order for them both to exit the car, but Lance was quick to shut the door and walk over to Shiro. He hesitated for a second, unsure if he should grab Shiro's hand again, but decided to throw caution to the wind. He knew that Shiro liked him, he knew that he liked Shiro, and he wasn't afraid of Lotor finding them in public because he knew that Shiro would protect him. So, he smiled to himself and laced his fingers with Shiro's.    
  
Lance had suddenly gained confidence as they got closer to the entrance of the store. He knew this place, so he felt comfortable. He lead Shiro straight inside and down the isles. He picked up a hand-held shopping basket and slipped it over his arm before looking around. "Alright," he sighed, looking at Shiro, "Let's start with today. What would you like for dinner tonight?"

 

Shiro blushed from that one sentence alone, having never heard someone ask him that before. Honestly, whenever Colleen cooked for him, she just went off and made whatever, because anything she made instantly became Shiro's favorite food for the week. Other than that, he wasn't sure what type of homemade food he would want, since he was used to eating out. "Hm...how about you? I want you to cook what /you/ want to eat." He scooted close until his chest was against Lance's shoulder, still squeezing his hand. "Indulge yourself. Let's eat whatever you want to eat." It was a bit of a cop out so Shiro didn't have to choose, but at the same time, he did want to inspire Lance to make more independent choices, so it worked out.

 

Lance looked lost now, he was never asked what he wanted for...well, really anything. Especially something like this. For years this was his responsibility, he had to know what Lotor liked, what Lotor wanted. Not the kids, nor himself, only Lotor. "I-I'm not sure. I've never...I haven't really ever made anything according to what I want.." he confessed, blushing slightly, "But um...there was this one thing that I had decided to try once. L-Lotor had...complained...about the fact that he was tired of what I had been cooking, so I decided to try something new. I...do you like pork? I made pork chops once, diced red potatoes with cheese on top as a side. I thought that it was really good, but...Lotor not so much." He sighed, looking up at Shiro shyly, "I've...always sort of wanted to try it again. So, maybe that? I-I mean unless you'd rather have something else." He said the last thing quickly, looking away. He wasn't used to this, he was used to being ordered around and put down. He wasn't sure how to handle a situation like this, but he did quite like it. Shiro was so nice to him, he didn't know how to thank him enough. He was so great.

 

Shiro smiled down at Lance, but it was bittersweet. On the one hand, Lance was adorable in everything he said and did, but on the other hand, it was so clear how unhealthy his life had been up to this point. Well, mentally unhealthy. The physically unhealthy one had been Shiro, since he'd been eating out his entire life. "Shh." He bent down to kiss Lance's cheek, pulling back only a little so they could look into each other's eyes close up. "You had me at pork. I don't know any of the other stuff you're talking about but it sounds delicious." He promised. "You're the expert. Do whatever you want; that's what'll make me most happy."

 

Lance stared into Shiro's eyes for a few seconds before his cheeks turned red and a shy smile spread across his face. He looked down, embarrassed that he was blushing so much. "Okay.." he said softly, trying to hide his blush. He looked up at Shiro again, and there was a pause, before he stood on his tiptoes and pecked the taller man on the lips quickly. He didn't give Shiro time to react, as soon as he pulled away he started walking, his fingers still laced with Shiro's. He stared down for a few seconds, face bright red as he tugged Shiro along behind him. He started scanning the isles, looking for any ingredients he could pick up on the way to the meats, which were located in the back of the store next to the deli. "O-Okay. I need cheese, bacon, and potatoes. Keep your eye out for those, okay?"

 

Shiro was stunned by Lance's sudden boldness, which topped even his bold decision to kiss his cheek. They were kissing in public...this was honestly something Shiro never knew he would have, never knew he would want. It made his heart race, and Lance seemed keen on not addressing it right now so they wouldn't just become two blushing messes, so Shiro was also intent on not focusing on it. It had happened, that was good enough. He may bring it up later, but not while they were in public, otherwise they would both probably explode. "G-got it." He gulped. Lance wasn't the only one stuttering. He did his best to look out for what they needed, but for the most part he just let Lance drag him around.

 

They had made a couple of detours to grab the cheese and bacon, but eventually made it to the meats. He stood in front of the refrigerated shelves for a few minutes, looking for the right meat to use. Finally, he found it and picked it up, setting it in the basket hanging from his arm. "Alright, now we need some potatoes, and then we can figure out other stuff. I don't think we'll be needing much, maybe some cereal, some things that I can pack for the kids for lunch, and maybe a few other things for the next couple of dinners." he seemed to be making a checklist in his head as he went through the things he would need. Even the bare minimum of what they needed seemed like a lot, though it really wasn't when it came down to it. "Oh! And pancake mix." He looked at his little basket which seemed a bit small for the things he was listing. He blushed a little bit, and looked at Shiro with a little bit of guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry...I feel awful about using so much of your money for this...maybe we shouldn't go to lunch, I feel like I'm being so greedy..." he said, looking upset.

 

Shiro squeezed Lance's hand harder, scooting closer so that their bodies were pressed together. "Hey, don't apologize. I mean, it's benefiting me, after all, isn't it? I'll get to eat your amazing food. And I'm excited to eat it, and I'm even more excited about going downtown and to lunch with you, and shopping at the mall with the kids...I want all of that. So don't be sorry. I want to spend money on this stuff." He reached for the basket with his prosthetic arm. "It's gonna start getting heavy, so let me carry it, okay? Let's keep going, and let's just have fun shopping together for the first time. I've definitely been hyped about your pancakes!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

 

Lance sighed, a small smile reforming on his lips. "Yeah...okay." he said softly, "B-But do you think we should get a grocery cart instead? I mean..we might not fill that up all the way but that basket might be too small.. and I don't want you to carry it if it's too heavy." He looked worried as he looked around, the grocery carts were at the front of the store near the entrance, so they'd have to go all the way back up there. "We could grab anything that we might need on the way back to the front? Then when we get the cart we can go back through the rest of the isles." He hesitated for a second, then laughed, "I mean that's a lot of walking back and forth, but we should probably do it anyway." He looked up at Shiro with his cute smile. He looked very happy, and he was. He considered himself so lucky to have met Shiro, and to have him in his life. Shiro was such a great person, and he really really liked him. Lance felt himself coming to love Shiro quite a bit, though he was very self-conscious and hesitant about the feeling.

 

Shiro looked up thoughtfully. "I wouldn't mind hauling this thing around so I could show off carrying it to you." He chuckled before shaking his head. "But we can get a cart, too. Besides, more walking means more time spent together. Lead the way!" Shiro continued to allow Lance to take the lead, looking at him fondly and wanting to do whatever he could to build the poor boy back up, even with just small gestures like letting him be the one dragging Shiro around. He would reverse everything Lotor did, no matter what it took. He gave Lance a reassuring smile to make sure he knew it was okay. Shiro wanted to be dragged around by him. Lance was cute doing it, anyways. He was cute doing anything. Shiro wouldn't mind just watching him doing random day to day stuff, so long as he was smiling.

 

"Okay." Lance laughed, "No need to show off, I know that you're strong. We'll just get a cart." He smiled sweetly before tugging him along.   
  
They'd spent about an hour and a half at the grocery store, and their cart was nearly full by the time they were finished. Lance was able to get everything he needed and more, and he was so greatful to Shiro, even though he felt bad for using his money. He was still quite hesitant, even now as they stood in the checkout line, getting ready to set their things on the conveyor belt thingy so the cashier could ring them up. He stood there anxiously, eyeing his way through the different foods, "...maybe we should put this back, we don't /really/ need this, do we?" He knew that he'd been doing this all day, but he just felt bad…

 

Shiro chuckled at Lance, as he had been doing all morning, and leaned over to kiss him on the top of his head in hopes that that'd help ease him a bit. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, just make sure to make some delicious stuff for the two of us to enjoy together, okay? And the kids too, of course. It'll all be worth it." He rolled the cart ahead to check everything out, using it as am excuse to avoid dwelling too long on the head kiss. He was still surprised by his own boldness. He hadn't been romantically involved with anybody for a while, although he did have previous relationships in his younger years. Once they finished check out, they rolled the cart down to the car together. "Didn't even cost that much." Shiro assured Lance. It'd definitely cost more than any other grocery trip he'd ever made, but that was just because he never got anything from grocery stores.  Honestly, it was refreshing to be taking home this many ingredients.

 

"Alright..." Lance sighed as they walked to the car. "I promise I'll make some great meals for you. I'm not good at much, but I do admit that my cooking is pretty good." he smiled a little.   
  
He helped Shiro load up the car before pushing the cart a few parking spaces away to the cart return. He walked back quickly, not wanting to be alone for too long. He got into the passenger seat of the car and put his seatbelt on. He smiled cheerfully at Shiro. Now it was time for their date! He was so excited. He tried to suppress his excited grin, but he could barely do it. He was smiling like an idiot in his opinion, "Now we can go downtown!" He said excitedly. He had been downtown before, but that was when he was still at home with his sister and his awful family. He hoped it was as fun as it was back then. Of course it would be fun though, he was going to be with Shiro.

 

Shiro was grinning just as much as Lance, this being his first date in a while. Wasting no time, he started the car towards the downtown area, already making a mental check list of all the things for them to do. He didn't know how much Lance got out, but he was sure Lotor never took him on dates, so he wanted to show Lance around a lot. It was comforting seeing Lance just as excited as he was. Buildings began showing up on either side of them as they came down the road leading into the downtown area, and they could see the signature tall clock tower from far off. They were here. "Come on!" Shiro found a parking meter to park at and quickly got out to pay for time, planning on getting them at least a good few hours. The ambiance of downtown was pretty average; people everywhere walking in every direction with noise and smells of all sorts constantly in the air. The slow early part of the day was already over, so things were already pretty busy.

 

As soon as Lance got out of the car, he was surrounded by noise and everything else. He looked around with big blue eyes, his gaze reaching the very tip of the tall buildings, his ears catching the fast, but frequent buzzing of cars passing them on the road and the distant, but loud chatter of the people all around him; his nose picked up some of the many different smells coming from random places such as a hotdog stand just across the street, and the scent of fresh coffee coming from a small Cafe just a couple of buildings to his right. He was overwhelmed with everything he saw and heard. Sure, he had been here before, but it had been /so long/ that his memory, which had been distorted over time, was nothing at all like this. It was breathtaking. He hadn't even closed the door of the car yet, he just stood there taking in everything he possibly could from where he was standing. He barely even noticed that Shiro had gone to the parking meter and returned by now, he was just so excited and amazed by the sights around him. He felt sort of silly, being so surprised by something he had seen before, even if it was almost two decades ago. But he just couldn't help it. It had caught him off guard and he thought that it was all so beautiful. He was so glad that he would be able to spend time here with you. He wanted to see everything.

 

Shiro reached down to intertwine their hands, chuckling a bit when Lance jumped in response. "It's just me." He assured. As amusing and cute as it was to see Lance gazing around in amazement, it was also bittersweet, since the implication was that he didn't get to go out and see things a lot. Shiro shut the door for him and began leading him down, keeping their hands locked firmly and staying close. "Don't get separated from me. Stay close. If you end up lost, make your way to the clock tower and we'll meet up there." Shiro nodded at the tall tower that was visible no matter where you were downtown. He had no intention of letting go of Lance, of course, but it was best to have some form of a plan, just in case.

 

Lance nodded quietly, holding Shiro's hand a little tighter as he worried over getting lost. He would make sure to stay close to Shiro so he didn't. His eyes continued to wander around, taking in his surroundings in awe. He gasped and jumped when someone brushed past him, their shoulders hitting his. He looked back to see them, and they seemed to look back too, only to scowl at him rudely, probably because the man noticed that he was an omega. Lance frowned, a bit hurt by the event, but not enough to let it ruin his mood. He turned back to Shiro and walked a little faster, linking his own arm with his and keeping very close to Shiro's side. "So where are we gonna go first?" He asked excitedly. There was so much he wanted to see, but he didn't know where to start, or even what to ask Shiro to show him. This was just so exciting!

 

Shiro chuckled at Lance's excitement and hooked their arms together, slightly over protective. Things really were pretty busy today. "I thought we could head to town square, maybe look at the fountain. You know, people toss pennies into the fountain to make wishes. You wanna try?" He offered, making a mental list of all the things for them to do downtown. Obviously this wasn't Shiro's first time here by any means, but it was his first time having to show it off to someone. He had to take Lance to all the best sights. And, honestly, he was just as excited as Lance was for this.

 

"Sure!" Lance smiled, he hadn't done something like that since he was a kid. He held onto Shiro's arm, looking around as they walked through the crowds. He thought about what he would wish about when they got to the fountain. After a bit of thinking it over, he assumed that they were approaching the fountain, so he tried his best to come up with something good. He smiled to himself as his mind began to stray away from the original topic and back to Shiro. He really, really liked Shiro, and he liked Lance back too! All of this was almost too good to be true. He wondered briefly if this was wrong...technically Lance was still married...he didn't want to think about that though. He wanted to live the happiness Shiro was giving him, and he wanted to believe that it would stay this way. He just wanted to be happy for once.

 

There was a moderate amount of people occupying the fountain area, but it wasn't crowded or anything; mostly just people walking back and forth nearby. Not everyone had the time to stop and make a wish at the fountain, and not everyone believed in that sort of stuff, anyways. Shiro thought it was fun, though, so he and Lance made their way to the edge of the fountain and stared in awe at the spouting water. "It's magnificent, isn't it?" Shiro said, squeezing Lance closer to him. Bits of water was spraying on them, but it wasn't enough to actually get them wet. Shiro reached for his wallet as Lance gaped at the fountain, picking out two pennies; one for each of them. "Here." He offered one to Lance, nodding encouragingly. He didn't really have much he needed to wish for, so he figured he would wish something for Lance and for the kids. He wanted all the happiness in the world for them, after all.

 

Lance was broken from his thoughts when they approached the fountain. Shiro was right, it was magnificent. It was gorgeous. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of it at first. It wasn't that Lance hadn't seen a fountain before, but it was just that the whole expierence was just so unlike anything he had ever witnessed. The fountain was beautiful, yes, but being there with someone who genuinely cared about him, being there with Shiro, that just made it so much more breathtaking. He was so thankful for Shiro, more than he could ever say. He smiled and took the penny from Shiro, his blue eyes staying locked with Shiro's dark ones for a few seconds before he blushed and looked away. His stomach erupted in butterflies, but he had to focus on his wish! He thought hard about the wish, probably took it a little too seriously, but hey, that's okay. Suddenly the perfect wish came to him and he closed his eyes. The wish he made came straight from his pure heart. He wanted so badly to just finally live a safe and happy life. He wanted to stay with Shiro for as long as he would have them, and he wanted to provide for his children the way that a good father should. All he wanted was a safe and happy life with Shiro and the children.

 

Shiro took a few deep breaths, entertaining himself in the idea of a fountain wish for Lance's sake. Sometimes it was nice to just let go and have some fun. He didn't have many people he could be like that with; aside from Keith and the Holt siblings, most of Shiro's personal relationships were purely professional, so having Lance here, someone who he could just relax with, was freeing in everyway. He held his penny between his finger nails, ready to flip it in. "You ready?" He link his hand with Lance's while their other ones held their pennies towards the fountain. "One...two...three!" He counted off before they tossed and flipped their pennies together, squeezing hands tighter as they made their wishes. Maybe it was a little childish, but that was fine by Shiro. They were having fun, and that was really what mattered. He shut his eyes, wishing for all the happiness in the world for Lance and the kids. Wishing that he would be able to provide them the happiness they so rightfully deserved.

 

Lance kept his eyes closed as he flipped the coin into the fountain at the same time as Shiro, holding his hand tight. He smiled when he heard them both make little splashes. He opened his eyes just a little bit, watching as their coins sank to the bottom quickly. He found himself wrapping his arms around Shiro's waist and resting his head on his shoulder as he just watched the pretty fountain. This was perfect. He wanted his life to be like this all the time. He hoped that this wouldn't be the only time Shiro took him out on dates. They were so much more fun than Lotor's "dates" which were really just long business meetings over dinner. Long evenings of being casually, verbally abused by not only his husband, but also his coworkers who insulted each other's omegas like they were just objects to be critiqued. This was so much better than that. He felt safe and happy here. He tightened his arms around Shiro and closed his eyes, taking in his scent as he breathed in slowly. He hoped this wasn't too odd for Shiro, Lance just wanted to hug him, there wasn't much reason aside from it felt nice. Oh, and of course that Lance liked Shiro a lot.

 

Shiro smiled down as Lance latched onto him and wrapped his arms back around the smaller boy, not quite adjusted to the sudden spike in physical affection he got recently. He wasn't complaining though; especially not if he was getting hugs from someone as stunningly beautiful as Lance. He didn't even care that others were watching them, he just wanted to give Lance the comfort and affection he deserved. He wanted to give Lance his everything. So, they just pressed close in front of the fountain for a good few minutes, relishing in being able to indulge against each other's warmth even here, down town, in the outside world. Eventually, however, it was time for them to move at least one footstep, so Shiro carefully began leading them down deeper into down town. Their arms were still linked, naturally, keeping their bodies pressed close as Shiro continued to smile down at Lance. "You know, I still don't really know much about you, like things you like to eat, or things you like to wear. Why don't we walk around looking at different open cafe places, and we can observe all the menus so that, when it is lunch time, we can already decide on a place together?" Shiro suggested. Not only would this give them something fun to do together, but he would learn more about Lance and what he liked. And before Lance could argue that Shiro didn't need to know the things he liked, he leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Your preferences are important to me."

 

Lance almost argued, but he stopped and decided not to when Shiro kissed his forehead. He blushed a little, but nodded, "Alright...but your preferences are important to me too! I want to know what you like to eat as well." he was quiet for a second, "...hey Shiro? What's your favorite color?" He asked shyly. He wanted to learn more about this man. Shiro was right, they really didn't know many simple things about each other. Obviously Shiro knew about Lance's tortured past, but that was about all. And all Lance knew about Shiro was that he is a teacher and a hella strong alpha with a kind heart. He had lots of questions for Shiro and he was excited to learn the answers.

 

Shiro found himself blushing just from Lance asking him what his favorite color was, which was crazy. How could he get flustered just from something like that? Lance was seriously too cute even when he was just asking a simple question. In an attempt to divert his flusteredness, Shiro looked upwards as they continued walking, still sticking close to each other. As they began getting further away from the streets, walkways were suddenly much less crowded, meaning Shiro didn't need to worry as much over something shifty happening. "Well, I would say black, but now..." He swallowed his embarrassment to stare down into Lance's eyes. "Nowadays, my favorite color is probably blue." And since he was so bad at flirting, he kissed in between Lance's eyes to make sure he got the message across that he was trying to be cute.

 

Lance's face erupted into a bright red blush, his eyes a little wide as he stared at Shiro. After a few seconds of staring, he smiled sheepishly and looked away, "Oh.." was all he could say. He thought to himself about what to say back. He hated to use the same flirty compliment, but he wasn't very good at flirting anyway and what he was about to say was true. "I...I really like the color of your eyes too...they're really dark and pretty." he stopped and turned to look up at Shiro, his blue eyes staring into Shiro's. "I...really like you, too.." he mumbled softly, blushing harder when he realized he'd said that out loud. He was sounding like a teenage girl again. He looked down and moved his hands to cover his red cheeks, "I-I'm sorry, that sounded so silly...I'm a grown-up I promise." he laughed a little. He didn't know what else to do, so he just stepped forward and hid his face in Shiro's chest. "Sorry.." he mumbled, completely flustered.

 

Shiro was blushing as much as Lance, not from his comment about his eyes, although that was certainly a factor, but just from how cute he was. He didn't mind Lance's silly talk at all, in fact he found it endearing. The fact that he hadn't been involved with anyone like this in quite a while was probably a factor. For now, he just wrapped his arms around Lance's shoulder and squeezed him harder against his chest to help them both get rid of their flusteredness. "I really like you, too." He assured with a soft chuckle. If Lance was going to sound like a girl in high school, Shiro would do it too. He hadn't felt this way in maybe ever, he'd never felt /this/ strongly attached to someone in this way before, so he figured he had the right to act a little lovesick. "I really, really, really like you." He laughed, planting kisses to the top of Lance's head, and he was aware they were showing off a lot of public display of affection; he didn't care. Although, other people seemed to, as eyes watched them as people passed by. "We should maybe keep moving, though." He smiled and brushed his fingers up against Lance's red cheeks.

 

Lance giggled as Shiro gave him forehead kisses, telling him that he really liked him. Really really /really/ to be more specific. That made Lance so happy, so happy that he was able to expierence something like this. He honestly thought that he never would. According to society, he had a prince. A rich, "handsome" man who would fuck Lance until he dropped dead. That was every omega's dream apparently. Again, /according to society./ Lance had learned that princes weren't all they were made out to be. They were terrifying and cruel. He already had a prince, but never wanted a prince. He had always dreamed of a strong, caring man saving him from the hell he'd been trapped in for so long. A knight. And that's exactly what Shiro was. Lance smiled shyly and nodded, staying close to Shiro as they walked. "Thank you..." he said quietly after a few minutes. "Thank you so much, Shiro." He whispered, lacing his fingers with Shiro's. He was so very greatful for that man and all he had done for Lance and his family. Lance smiled to himself, Shiro was his knight. His key to a new, happy life, and he couldn't be happier.    
  
  


Shiro squeezed Lance's hand back as they leaned into each other a bit, stopping every now and then to look through shop windows as they made their way to the first cafe to check out the menu. Lance wanted to know more about what Shiro liked, so he took him to places he enjoyed eating at and places he thought had good lunch menus. He'd been eating out for a large part of his life, especially after turning 20 and becoming less reliant on Colleen Holt's cooking, so he was pretty well-versed in which places had better lunch menus and which places had the best customer service and stuff like that. He took Lance to a restaurant with Asian cuisine, peeking inside. "As you probably know, I'm Japanese, and I really enjoy food from Asian cultures. Brings me back to my roots, I guess." He laughed, swinging his hand with Lance's a bit. He wasn't sure if Lance knew how to make Japanese dishes, but man he would love to taste homemade Japanese food. Not that Colleen didn't already make it for him whenever he asked, so it wasn't like he was deprived of it, but he wanted to taste it from Lance, one day.

 

Lance smiled sweetly up at Shiro and nodded, making a mental note to learn how to make different Japanese foods. He had made certain dishes before, but not often enough to remember how he made it. "I understand, Japanese food is good." he agreed. He was so radiantly happy at the moment, his smile hadn't left his face since the two of them had their cute little talk by the fountain, only growing bigger as their interactions went on. He was so obviously falling for Shiro more and more. He looked around him, tilting his head back to see the tall buildings. "This place is so cool. It's so...open." he said with a smile, looking back at Shiro. He was used to closed, confined places for obvious reasons. He was never really out in a place this open before. It was thrilling to say the least.    
  
They walked around for a little while longer, Lance's hand in Shiro's just like it had been all day. Lance was so happy, all of this felt like a dream. But unfortunately, the world didn't seem to ever let Lance be happy for too long. So many things could have happened to prevent the next events, they could have payed more attention, they could have stayed closer, Lance could have held onto Shiro tighter, Lance could have ignored the beautiful piece of jewelry in the window of one of the shops. But none of those things were as they should have been. A sparkly locket was the cause of all of this. There was a small sign next to the heart-shaped piece of silver telling Lance that he could have it engraved. He admired the necklace, imagining what it would be like to wear that around his neck, he would put four names on it, because there were only four people worthy of such a beautiful thing. Luna, Riley, Shiro, and the name of his new baby. The four loves of his life. He was talking, technically to himself, but he thought that Shiro was there all along. He hadn't yet noticed that he was alone in a bustling crowd of strangers. "Isn't that absolutely beautiful?"

 

Shiro's smile was just as wide as ever as he looked around to observe the open space Lance was talking about. There was indeed quite a bit of space, it was just filled with people, that was all. His eyes momentarily paused at the sight of a building that had a sign reading 'alphas only'. Disgust quickly churned in Shiro's stomach, leaving a bad taste in his mouth as his eyebrows furrowed. Discriminatory stuff like that was always upsetting to see, even to him, and he definitely wanted to make sure Lance didn't see it...when he turned to make sure he could direct Lance's attention elsewhere, though, he was gone. Shiro's heart forgot how to beat as he stared down at his hand in disbelief before whipping his head back and forth in every direction. "Lance?!" His eyes scanned through heads desperately, trying to spot out those familiar blue eyes and that classic sugary smile. "Lance?!" He began pushing past people in a rush, fists clenched with fear and rage. Of course he let this happen...shit…

 

Lance payed no mind to the lack of response from Shiro. He figured that he just hadn't gotten his attention yet, but he thought that he was behind him. "Shiro? Look at th-" he turned around to take Shiro's hand, but froze when there was no one there but the strangers rushing by. His breath hitched in his throat and his chest felt incredibly tight as he looked around with his big blue eyes. Fear choked him as he tried to see Shiro through the crowd, though the people here were unforgiving, and they did not allow him to push his way through, only pushed him back and spit insults at the poor panicking omega. "S-Shiro?!" he yelped as he tried to find him in the crowd, but it was no use. Lance was a particularly small omega, due to his abusive past as well as his strict upbringing, he was quite lanky and underweight, and he was about an average height for an omega, which was shorter than most around him, so he couldn't really see over anyone. "Shiro!" He cried out loudly, starting to shake with pure panic. Adrenaline ignited inside of him and he decided to push his way through the crowd to look for his knight. He was terrified, shaking so badly he was barely strong enough to push others out of his way. He felt sick to his stomach as he yelled for Shiro, this couldn't be happening. He felt like he was going to faint soon after starting to push through the crowd, so he pushed his way to the side where he escaped into the very edge of an alley-typed opening between two buildings. He didn't go too far into the alley, just stood against the wall at the very edge, clutching his chest and gasping for air with big eyes filling with tears. He didn't know what to do, terror had taken over his head and he had completely forgotten about anything Shiro said before about what to do if they were to be separated. It was obvious that there was a distressed omega nearby, because of the strong pheromones he had been giving off by accident. He couldn't help it, he was terrified. He hadn't been alone in so long, and he remembered why he hated it so much. It was /petrifying/ and he couldn't seem to calm his erratic breathing. How could this have turned so awful so fast?

••TW Scene Beginning••

Lance basically left a scent trail that was strong enough for anyone in the area to pick up, although most people just ignored it since they were busy. One alpha, however, followed. After all, it was an alphas job to help out an omega in distress. "Hey there, little one." The man came up from behind Lance, towering over him with slightly crooked teeth that were especially sharp, even for an alpha. He was even larger than Shiro, and his clothes stuck close to his body so his muscles would ripple with every movement. "You look like your lost. Aww, poor thing..." He leaned down a bit with a smile. "What pretty eyes...prettiest I've ever seen. Tell you what, why don't I help you out sweetie. What's your name? It's okay, you can trust me. I'm Sendak."

 

Lance let out a terrified gasp when he heard the man's voice, turning around only to stumble back in fear as he stared up at the large alpha. Tears fell from his eyes as he shook his head, trying to regain his breath just enough to speak. "N-N-No...please l-leave me al-alone..." he whimpered, backing up slowly. He couldn't help but cry, he was absolutely petrified. He missed Shiro and he was scared that he might not ever see him again. This alpha standing in front of him scared him more than anything in that moment, though. The man claimed to want to help, but there was nothing about him that told Lance that it was his true intention. This man was bad news, and Lance could sense it. Of course he would get himself into a situation like this, of course he wasn't allowed to enjoy a nice day with someone he loved. Now it had just turned into a dangerous disaster and he wasn't sure how he was going to manage to get out of whatever would happen next. "Sh-Shiro!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, not taking his eyes off of the man who was stepping closer and closer to him. God, he didn't know what to do.

 

"Shhh...keep your voice down." Sendak commanded in his alpha voice, growling a bit at the end. If this beat didn't shut up, they could be found...although, not much would happen if they were found, most likely. He could shut Lance up and claim his stupid omega was being a whiny bitch; yeah, that would work on anyone who found them. Alphas needed to punish their omegas all the time. There were a multitude of excuses. He was quick to grab Lance's wrist so he couldn't go anywhere, squeezing hard so that the skin was quick to redden from the pressure. "C'mere, how is that any way to treat a man who's just trying to help you?!" He growled, yanking Lance closer. "I'm a nice guy, I just don't want to see you being all alone. Don't you think a 'thank you' is in session here? Or perhaps this alpha you're calling out for hasn't taught you well. That's no good...an alpha shouldn't be neglecting his duty to discipline his omega. Poor thing...!" He grunted as he tried stopping Lance's struggling.

 

Lance's breath hitched again and his mouth snapped shut as the bigger alpha growled at him. As an omega, the instinct to obey any alpha was too strong to fight, and for Lance, he was too scared to do anything but listen. This man could easily hurt him. And he did, Lance whimpered when the man gabbed his wrist and started speaking to him angrily. He let out little cries and whines between sharp intakes of breath as he tried hard to squirm out of the Alpha's painful grip. "P-Please l-leave me alone..I-I haven't done an-anything to y-you!" He cried out, pulling and struggling weakly against Sendak. This was a nightmare, Lance was silently pleading for Shiro to find him. He had to smell the fear from wherever he was, he had to have heard Lance's desperate scream before he was ordered to be quiet. He had to find Lance, he had to.. The poor omega was trembling and sobbing as he tried desperately to get out of this man's grip. Ugly flashbacks began to play in his mind and he began to fade from reality to memory and back again. Every once in a while the stranger alpha's face would turn to Lotor and Lance's surroundings would change, and suddenly he was back in that house. This worsened his hyperventilation and trembling and he began to whisper desperate pleas as he continued to get weaker and weaker in the man's grip.

 

Sendak slammed Lance's back against the wall of the alley, pinning him there and holding his wrist above his head before moving in. "Stop struggling, would you?" He squished Lance's cheeks in his hand as he leaned forward, eye to eye with Lance. "I'm here to help, remember? Come on, you're an omega, you're no good on your own. Let this big, strong alpha help you. You smell so afraid..." He sighed and inhaled the scent, head beginning to draw towards Lance's neck, where his pheromones were. "Let me turn off that fear scent you have going on, and let me turn on something else..." His teeth glinted, and his tongue swiped over his lips. The omega had such delicate looking skin...his fangs would sink through so easily, activating the omega's sex pheromones…

 

The wind was knocked out of him when he hit the wall, causing him to gasp for breath while tears flowed from his terrified blue eyes. How could this have happened? Why did something like this always happen? Why was the whole world so against Lance that he couldn't even have one nice day. Was he really that bad? Did he really deserve so much pain? He whimpered and cried as he silently pleaded for someone to help him. He gasped when the alpha got closer to his neck, the fear becoming so strong that his legs give out on him. The only reason he remained upright by that time was because the stranger was pinning his wrists above his head. He sobbed and tried to scream and lean away from the man's hot breath. He couldn't bite Lance, he couldn't. Lance was supposed to be free! He was supposed to be safe! But now he'd gotten himself into this awful mess and he couldn't get out. "No!" He screamed, struggling hard and gasping for air between sobs. "Shiro!" He screamed. He was so desperate for Shiro to hear him. Please please please, let Shiro hear him. Lance didn't want this alpha to go any farther. He couldn't stop him, he didn't have enough power or courage to stop this man from hurting him. "Shiro!" He yelped again, praying to whatever god was out there for Shiro or /someone/ to hear his screams.

 

Sendak chuckled, becoming turned on by Lance's screams. He didn't care what he was saying; the omega's sweet voice was so delectable. He began sucking against the skin on his neck, teasingly letting his teeth slide against it without puncturing just yet. "Listen. First I'm going to get your neck all nice and wet and shiny, prep it up. Then, that's when I'll bite, and don't worry; I'll make sure it hurts. You clearly need some better discip-" 

••TW Scene Over••

A fist to the face had the man out cold. One hit. That was all it took as two women stood in front of the terrified omega. One was a large, muscular woman with short hair, and the other was a relatively tall one with a long pony-tail that was dyed multiple colors. "Hey there!" The two girls exchanged a look before settling their eyes on Lance, the pony-tailed woman jutting her hip out and resting her hand on it. "Are you okay?"   
  
Shiro could clearly smell the scent of an omega in danger; it was Lance's scent. He followed it, shoving people aside in desperation. This wasn't just the scent of him scared from being lost; this was something else. He was lead to an alleyway up ahead and sped towards it. "Lance?!" He called out, turning the corner.

 

Lance's eyes were wide with fear as he listened to what Sendak was saying, his trembling getting worse and his face going pale. He opened his mouth to plead with the man again, but only gasped when the alpha was knocked out cold. Lance fell at the same time the unconscious man did, falling to his knees and staring ahead blankly, eyes still wide. He forgot to breathe for a second, but eventually remembered as he whipped his head toward the new voice he heard. More tears slipped from his eyes as he looked at the two women in front of him. Was he okay? No, he wasn't. He had just been molested by a stranger and he felt like he was going to pass out. It took him a minute to compose himself enough to say anything at all, but he tried, "I-" he was cut off when someone yelled his name and Shiro came speeding around the corner. Suddenly, it seemed that Lance could breathe again. He let out a panicked sob and reached his arms out to Shiro like a little kid. He couldn't get up, he barely had enough strength to raise his arms. He needed Shiro to hold him right now and never let him go again. He needed to apologize for getting lost and hurt and being such a burden, for ruining their first date. But right now all he wanted was for Shiro to hold him.  He needed to feel safe.

 

Shiro saw all the people around Lance, and a more feral look appeared in his eyes as he rushed forward. He was instantly crouching right by Lance, arms cradled around him while he growled at the two women, who backed up. 

 

"Woah, there. We mean no harm! We just saw him getting preyed on." The pony-tailed woman assured. The larger woman nodded. "So, you're his current alpha?" Shiro was too deep in protective mode to decipher that strange wording, shushing and petting Lance's back. 

 

"I'm Shiro, and he's with me." The ladies backed up more again, exchanging another silent conversation by looking at each other. 

 

"'Shiro', huh. Good to know. Like I said, we're not here to do harm. That guy was touching him like all over. It didn't look like he liked it very much." The pony-tailed girl gestured to Sendak on the floor, and Shiro felt himself get even more protective upon seeing the huge alpha that had apparently been molesting Lance. No wonder he was so scared right now... "My name is Ezor, by the way!" She said.

 

Lance was trembling and sobbing as he clung to Shiro like his life depended on it. He buried his face in Shiro's neck to hide the uncontrollable tears falling from his eyes. He didn't even have the energy to speak at all right now, so he just listened to what he could hear as he tried his best to calm himself by focusing on Shiro's scent. Shiro was here, he was okay, he was safe now. He wasn't with Lotor, or that other alpha, he was with Shiro, with /his/ alpha. Everything was okay now, he tried so hard to convince himself of that. He tried, but it was very hard. He was absolutely petrified and he felt sick to his stomach. He was so lucky that those girls had come to save him, though it did make him feel extremely embarrassed. Two girls saved him from some giant scary alpha. It made him feel weak, he should have been able to defend himself, but he wasn't...he was so pathetic...    
  
Shiro kept shushing him quietly, lifting him off his feet and letting him cling to Shiro's neck as Shiro stood up, holding him. He wasn't sure if Lance was well enough to walk right now, and he didn't mind carrying him like this in public for as long as he needed to. "Thank you." He said, turning towards the exit of the alleyway, guiding Lance's face into his neck so he could just focus on Shiro and his scent and his warmth. The other alpha hadn't gotten to do anything by the looks of it other than give Lance a scare, so the authorities would probably overlook it. "Thank you." He repeated to the girls before walking away, cradling Lance gently.   
  
Ezor grinned as they watched him walk off, eyes never leaving Lance. "...that was him, right?" She snickered to herself. "Lotor will be happy to hear where he's staying."

"Of course," Zethrid smirked, "he seems to be quite attached to that /Shiro/ man. I assume that is the teacher. Lotor will not be pleased about that." She stated before turning, "Come on, Ezor. Let's go deliver our news."    
  
Lance shivered and trembled in Shiro's arms as they walked through the crowds, his face hidden in Shiro's neck. He whimpered and flinched each time someone brushed against him just slightly, tightening his arms around Shiro. "I'm sorry..." he whispered, sniffling a little bit as he peeked out from where he was hiding his face, trying to figure out where they were headed. "I'm sorry, Shiro...I...I saw something I liked..a-and I thought you were there with me...I-I-" he let out another weak cry as he held onto the fabric of his shirt. "I'm sorry..."

 

Shiro's face was shadowed as he carried Lance through the sea of people. "Shhh..." He whispered. He wanted to be able to just talk without having to worry so much about all this noise, so he made his way back to the car, sliding into the shotgun seat and holding Lance close against him, letting him sit on his lap. "Shh...it's okay. I'm the one who's sorry. I should've been keeping a closer eye on you and should've held you...god, I'm so sorry, you're not hurt, are you?" He pressed his face into Lance's neck, checking him over and taking in his scent from his pheromones to detect anything other than fear, wanting to make sure that alpha hadn't been able to force Lance to do anything he didn't want to do. "I'm so sorry, shh...it's okay now, you're safe now, just tell me what happened so I can make sure you're okay..."

 

Lance shivered and sniffled quietly, still trembling quite hard, he was still so shaken from what had happened. "I..." he said with a shaky voice, whimpering quietly and holding onto Shiro's shirt tightly. "I saw..I saw a necklace that I really l-liked...and I stopped to look at it..I thought you were behind me." he paused, a few quiet hiccups leaving his mouth, "W-When I realized you weren't...I panicked. I tried to find you..but there were too many people so I hid in that little a-alley thing. I-I was so scared, and th-then that man came and-" he covered his mouth and let out a shaky sob, still trembling with fear. "I-I'm sorry for ruining o-our date, Shiro!" He whimpered, "I'm sorry I ruin everything..." he whispered that quite softly, half hoping Shiro might not hear that part, but he did feel the need to apologize for being such a fuck-up.

 

Shiro nestled his face into Lance's neck more, hugging him as tightly as he could and rocking back and forth a bit. "Shhh...it's okay. You didn't ruin anything, none of that was your fault. This type of thing happens sometimes...if anything it's my fault, I made a promise to keep you safe, and I ended up letting you get separated, I'm the one that's sorry, okay?" Shiro was especially scared, because it hit him that if those girls hadn't arrived, Shiro may very well have been too late. Something even worse may have happened to Lance. Luckily, there were no physical repercussions. He kept muttering quiet and soothing shushing sounds while running circles around Lance's back. He didn't know specifically what to do to help Lance exactly, so, just like whenever Lance went into panic attacks at the hospital, he just held Lance close to hug him through the trauma, so his warmth could be felt once the initial shock managed to calm down a bit.

 

Lance lay there in Shiro's arms for a long time, sniffling and muttering apologies for no real reason. Finally, he had calmed down. He felt awful for ruining their date, no matter what Shiro said, he knew that they could have done so much more together if this hadn't happened. He wanted so badly to go back out there and have fun with Shiro, spend time with him just like before. But he didn't think that he could handle it again, at least not today. "Shiro...?" He mumbled, eyes getting heavy from crying so much. "Can...can we go home? I-I don't..think I can g-go back out there today...I-I'm sorry..." his voice was heavy with guilt as he whispered another apology. He felt terrible for doing this, he hated himself for not being strong enough to go back out there with Shiro. He hated himself for letting all of this happen in the first place. He didn't know why Shiro stayed with him, he was such a burden…

 

Shiro continued to stroke the back of Lance's head slowly, surrounding him with his body warmth. "Yeah, we can do that. It's okay, this just means we have more to do the next time we come down town, yeah?" Shiro assured optimistically, kissing the bridge of Lance's nose and slowly shifting to move Lance off of his lap and into the seat. He ran the back of his fingers down Lance's cheek, rolling up his sleeve to wipe at the tears. "As long as we're spending time together, that's all that matters to me, okay? It doesn't matter if we're out there or at home, as long as you're here with me." Once he finished cleaning Lance's face, he hopped over to the driver's seat and started up the car a full hour before their parking meter space was up. Then, they started back home.

 

Lance smiled weakly as Shiro assured him that it was okay, "That's all that matters to me too." He said softly, giggling a little as he was kissed on the nose. He let Shiro move to his own seat and start the car. Lance quietly put his seatbelt on and set his hands on his lap, looking down for a while, he wanted to hold Shiro's hand. He watched his own hands for a bit, he was still shaking quite a bit, that annoyed him, but he couldn't really do anything about it. He took a deep breath as he lifted his head and looked out the window. He watched for a few minutes while the thongs outside passed by quickly, and he began to think to himself. He was so lucky to have Shiro in his life. If he didn't have Shiro, he wouldn't have anyone. His children of course, but sometimes they were much too young to worry about Lance. Lance rather liked how Shiro would dote on him all the time, he took care of him, made him feel safe. That's all Lance needed, someone to love and take care of him like that. He was so happy he had found it. The only problem was, Lotor was still out there... He closed his eyes tight and moved his right hand over his stomach, his other hand resting on his leg, still secretly hoping that Shiro would take hold of it. Meanwhile Lance was thinking about Lotor. He would never get his hands on Lance's children. He would never allow it, Shiro would never allow it. Lance was sure of that. But they still had to be careful, Lotor was full of surprises, and he always got what he wanted.

 

Shiro kept glancing over at Lance while driving, obviously only for brief seconds since he sort of needed to keep his eyes on the road. He could clearly see Lance was still shaking, and he saw his hand on his stomach. With a small smile, Shiro reached over to hold Lance's free hand, squeezing it. "It'll be okay." He promised. The child growing in Lance wasn't technically Shiro's, but he would help Lance with it nonetheless. Yeah...he would be the father. That sounded real nice. It was all he could think about as they pulled back in to his house, grabbing the grocery bags and carrying them in. "Well, we didn't get lunch down town, but I guess that's an opportunity for us to have lunch together here!" Shiro suggested once they finished bringing everything in. "Did you want to make something?" They had a lot of ingredients, way more than Shiro ever had, and he figured cooking would help Lance calm down more. It would give him something to take his kind off of the events in the alleyway, and would probably make him feel better about coming home early.

 

Lance smiled softly as he set a couple bags on the counter. "Yeah, I'll make something if you help me." he smirked, walking over to Shiro and waiting for him to put down the bags he was holding. He wanted a hug. When Shiro did put down the last couple bags, Lance wasted no time in wrapping his arms around Shiro's waist and resting his cheek on his chest. He took a deep breath, his smile growing a little bit bigger as he focused on the safe feeling he had when in Shiro's arms. "What did you want to eat? I'm pretty sure I can make anything you want, with exceptions. I've yet to perfect any Japanese food dishes, so maybe not that. And I'm planning something for dinner, so lunch can't be too big, okay?" He moved his head so he could look up at Shiro after speaking, his cute blue eyes sparkling, matching the small smile on his lips.

 

Shiro jumped a bit at the sudden hug, but a smile quickly formed on his face as his arms wrapped around behind Lance, embracing him as he tilted his chin down to rest against Lance's head protectively. "Yeah, okay. Lunch doesn't need to be big, why don't we just fix sandwiches together? We can learn what types of things we like in our sandwiches." He suggested. "Also, I can't cook much." He chuckled. Sandwiches were simple enough, and he did want to learn more about Lance and what types of things he liked. They parted from their hug, but continued holding each other close as they made their way to the counter, filtering through their groceries for the bread and ham and other stuff. Shiro kept sneaking glances over at Lance; he was just too dazzling and cute for Shiro, and he couldn't help but look at him with every second he had.

 

Despite the earlier chaos, Lance was quite relaxed, a small smile on his lips to make that obvious. He dug through the bags of groceries, putting things away as he went, setting out the things they could use for sandwiches. He set out mustard, mayo, pickles, turkey, cheese, etc. There was every ingredient he could think of that Shiro might like on his sandwich, even peanut butter and jelly, just in case. They both got their plates and bread, and Lance began to make his sandwich, avoiding the mustard as he opened the packet of cheese. He glanced at Shiro and his plate couple of times, blushing and smiling each time he got caught.

 

Shiro found the two of them looking at each other every now and then, and he couldn't help but laugh at how they were acting like the typical couple from a romcom movie. Speaking of which... "Hey, did you want to watch a movie while we eat?" He asked as he spread mayo on his bread, building his sandwich quickly out of excitement. The thought of watching a romantic or a family movie with Lance sounded even better than a date in down town, all snuggled up together in Shiro's bed in front of his large TV screen...perhaps fate had orchestrated things this way so they could spend their evening like this instead. The timing matched up perfectly too; by the time the movie would finish, it would be near time to go get Riley and Luna.

 

Lance's eyes lit up and he turned to Shiro with a big smile, "Yeah! That sounds fun!" He said excitedly. He was almost done with his sandwich, he just had to put some lettuce on it. "Remember, we bought some chips too." he reminded Shiro as he went back to his sandwich, "What movie do you think we should watch?" He asked after a few seconds of silence. He glanced at Shiro and smiled. When he finished his sandwich, he started to clean up, picking up the things that Shiro had already used and putting them away, putting the butter knives that they used for mayo into the sink and running them under water. "You should probably choose the movie, the only movies I know of are ones for kids." he laughed a little. He had only watched movies with Luna and Riley before, so he didn't really know much at all about grown-up movies.

 

Shiro couldn't help but laugh with Lance at that, helping him put stuff away. He didn't want Lance to be cleaning on his own, after all. "Yeah, I'll choose." He agreed, setting his sandwich aside to put the ham into the refrigerator. Already he was running through a list in his head of all the different movies they could watch. He stood behind Lance at the sink, kissing the back of his head. "Did you want a family movie or a romantic one?" Both sounded good, but he was willing to bet Lance didn't watch too many romantic movies if most things he watched was with the kids, so that would be nice. Shiro could find the cheesiest of rom coms and kiss Lance through it all. He didn't want anything too dramatic, just something sweet and fun for Lance. After all, they'd already had enough drama today in the alley.

 

Lance blushed and smiled softly, leaning back against Shiro. "Hm, a romantic movie sounds nice." He hummed as he finished washing off the knives and set them on the counter next to the sink. He would put them in the dishwasher later after dinner. He stayed where he was though, he liked to stand there with Shiro. He leaned his head back on Shiro's shoulder so he could look at him, a small smile still on his cute lips. "Do you have a movie in mind or?" He spoke so innocently, his freckled face still tinted red. He turned around and stood on his tiptoes to place a quick kiss on Shiro's cheek. "Because like I said," he began after pulling away and turning to walk to the island where their sandwiches were, "I don't know anything about movies like that." he laughed quietly while putting away the last of the groceries.

 

Shiro's heart skipped a beat; it just made him so happy that Lance enjoyed returning his gestures. He grabbed his own plate in one hand and Lance in the other, gently moving in the direction of his bedroom, more than ready to start cuddling with each other. "Oh, wait!" He stopped so they could quickly grab a bag of chips before going to the bedroom. He set his sandwich on the bed before quickly turning the TV on to browse movies, briefly looking back to make sure Lance was making himself comfortable. He crawled over to him, remote in hand. "I have a few in mind. Here, tell me if you want another blanket or if this is okay." He pulled the blanket up and rearranged the pillows against the wall so they could lean back comfortably, scooting close to each other. He gave Lance the chips as he chose a movie he figured would be appropriate for the occasion, pressing his shoulder against Lance's and raising his sandwich to eat while the screen started up.

 

Lance happily walked with Shiro to the bedroom, giggling when he stopped to grab the chips. As Shiro was looking for a movie, Lance made himself comfortable, assuring Shiro that one blanket was okay before starting to eat his lunch. He was more than happy to sit here and watch a movie with Shiro. Movie time was always Lance's favorite time, as a child, he and his sister would watch movies together once in a while, and now, as an adult, he watched movies with his babies whenever they got the chance. He just loved to be comfortable and close to people you love. It was his favorite feeling.    
It didn't take long for Lance to finish his sandwich, maybe about 10 minutes or so. As soon as they were both finished for sure, Lance decided to cuddle. He scooted closer to Shiro and rested his head on his shoulder, hoping he wasn't going too far too fast.

 

Shiro smiled down at Lance, snaking his arm behind him and pulling him in closer while snuggling against him. He lowered his shoulder to let Lance get more comfortable and pulled the blanket on more so they could just curl into each other. This was all very new to Shiro; he didn't share his warmth so intimately like this with anyone ever, and it felt nice to have Lance cuddling up to him. He leaned his head down against Lance's lightly as they watched the screen, although Shiro was focusing more on the feeling of Lance's delicate body against his. He couldn't help it; that was the more important thing to him at the moment. He was sure he could cuddle with Lance like this every day. He wanted to cuddle with Lance like this every day. Wanted to make him feel safe. "Don't fall asleep on me, we still gotta pick up the kids after this and I won't be able to wake you up if you fall asleep, you'll look way too cute." Shiro joked, kissing Lance's head.

 

Lance smiled, his eyes closing for a minute. He was very tired, this had been a long, long day for him. "Hey, if I fall asleep on you it's your fault." He teased, turning so he could wrap one of his arms around Shiro's waist and cuddle him more. "Your fault for making me so comfortable." He mumbled, lifting his head to stick his tongue out at Shiro, followed by a cute giggle. He rested his head back onto Shiro, more on his chest now. Lance was quite for most of the next half an hour, but he had too much on his mind to pay full attention to the movie. "Hey, Shiro...?" He said softly, his voice sounding hesitant.

 

Shiro glanced down at Lance, alarmed by his tone of voice. His hand moved to lightly sweep Lance's hair across his forehead, leaving it nice and free for him to plant a kiss to. His other arm squeezed around Lance tighter, rubbing up and down his side comfortingly. "What is it?" He asked, pulling the blanket on close, wanting to make Lance as comfortable as possible with him. He wanted him to be able to ask him anything.

 

Lance was quiet for a second, taking a deep breath and tightening his arm around Shiro a bit. "What are we gonna do..." he trailed off, it was a difficult topic for him, "I-If I'm really pregnant...?" He whispered the last word, a word that held so much fear for the poor omega. He buried his face into Shiro's shirt, thinking anxiously about the fact that he was more than likely pregnant with Lotor's child.

 

Shiro pursed his lips together, pressing his chin against Lance's head to give him reassurance and support. He could just feel how scared he was from how he shivered and kept nestling closer to Shiro, and he couldn't imagine what it was like for Lance, being pregnant with the child of a man who had abused him for so long. He'd most likely never asked Lotor to give him the child, either. Shiro still had no idea how their relationship had been exactly. He ran his hand through Lance's hair, smiling softly and pressing more kisses to Lance's forehead. "...well, if you are...then we can start thinking of names." He tilted Lance's face up to look at Shiro's smiling face, and he nodded to assure Lance that he would take in the baby as his own even if it wasn't his. "It isn't Lotor's child; it's yours. And...if you would..." He linked his hand with Lance's. "...it can be ours, too..."

 

Lance looked at Shiro as he spoke, lacing his fingers back with his, squeezing his hand too. His eyes filled with tears at the last thing Shiro said. "You...I- r-really...?" He stuttered, "You would really want to call it ours..? Even though...even though it's..." he had a look of fear on his face as he trailed off. "Are you sure, Shiro...?" He whispered. He loved the idea of calling this baby theirs, but he wanted Shiro to be sure.

 

Shiro pulled Lance in close, moving his thumb up to wipe at the corner of Lance's eyes while he places soft kisses against his forehead. "I'm sure. Nothing would make me happier, Lance." He assured, moving a hand down to caress Lance's stomach. It didn't matter to him who's DNA the child had; all that mattered was that it was important to Lance, and so, it would be important to him, too. He would take care of any child of Lance's. "I love Riley and Luna with everything I have, no matter what...and the same will go for your other children. No matter what." The movie was all but forgotten now as Shiro cuddled Lance close comfortingly.

 

Lance was crying now, but it wasn't the panicked, broken typed crying like it usually was. It was the happy type. He was so happy. He propped himself up on his elbows so he was a little bit above Shiro, his tears slipping down his cheeks. His soft hands found their way to Shiro's cheeks, his thumbs rubbing over his skin as he stared into his eyes. "Why..." he whispered, "Why are you so perfect...?"

 

Shiro's heart leapt in his chest as he stared up at Lance, eyes wide as they met his blue ones. Feeling his hands on his cheeks was a welcome feeling, and Shiro could only smile warmly when he spoke. His hands wrapped around Lance's waist to help support him as he leaned back into the pillows a little. "I don't know about perfect. I told you a little about my past, how I didn't exactly grow up with much, and that's why I want to do my best to teach and guide children now. I guess that's a big part of it." His arms moved up Lance's back to gently pat his head. "I'm not just here with you because of that, though. I genuinely do want you here with me, and I want to be a part of everything that's yours, including your children. I want to be a part of your life." He leaned his head up, closing his eyes as their lips found each other, kissing softly.

 

Lance didn't hesitate to kiss back, in fact, he was planning on kissing Shiro too, he just wasn't fast enough. Lance's kisses were always  so gentle and sometimes hesitant. But this time, he wasn't hesitant. He kissed Shiro with confidence and happiness. He loved this man, and he wasn't able to stop himself from showing it. Or, even saying it. When they pulled away, Lance smiled, a little out of breath, "Shiro," he started, his cheeks growing redder by the second, "I think...I think I'm in love with you." he confessed, his beautiful blue eyes locked with Shiro's. As soon as he said that, he began to freak out. "I-I'm sorry if that's too soon-- it's too soon isn't it? God I'm sorry, Shiro, I wasn't thinking. Ugh, I never think before I speak..." he groaned, burying his face in Shiro's chest. He was mostly just flustered, but also nervous that he had confessed his love too early. Then again, Shiro did just volunteer to act as the father of his children, so...maybe it was okay?

 

Shiro couldn't help but laugh at Lance's flusteredness. He was pretty sure he shouldn't be laughing when Lance had just confessed, but again, he couldn't help it. He embraced Lance close to his chest, rocking him back and forth a bit while pressing his chin to his head. "Of course not, it's okay." He assured. His smile was wide across his face, because hearing Lance say he loved him made his heart beat in ways he didn't know was possible, and this certainly wasn't the same type of romantic moment in the movies but it was good enough for him. He stroked his hand through the back of Lance's head to soothe him. He didn't want to say it back just yet, because he didn't know how Lance would react. Also, he wanted to make sure it didn't feel like he was trying to quickly become Lance's alpha. All his life, Lance had probably just had Lotor constantly declaring him as his, and Shiro didn't want to make Lance feel any of that.

 

Lance smiled when Shiro said it was okay, he was glad. He took a deep breath and cuddled against Shiro, eyes falling shut for a bit. He was quiet for a while, but his mind was still not done. He thought about what Shiro said before. They could talk about names...Lance wanted to do that. He sat up again with a small smile, "Can we talk about names? Just a little bit? I know it's really early still, but...I think it would be fun." He said sweetly, placing a gentle kiss to Shiro's cheek.

 

Shiro smiled down at Lance, not wanting to show how excited he was. Even though he'd never been in any serious position to have a kid with anyone, he'd often thought about what names he really liked. "Of course. That sounds fun." He agreed, kissing Lance's cheek back and laying back some more so that Lance could rest against his chest more comfortably. He reached for the remote to just pause the movie completely; it was distracting background noise more than anything else at this point. "Talk to me about names." He offered, watching the way Lance's head would rise and fall against his chest with each breath.

 

"Hm, this may sound weird," Lance began, "but I've always loved the name Cassiopeia. Little Cassie." he sighed, a small smile on his face. "For a girl, obviously." he clarified. "For a boy..." he trailed off, thinking back to his last pregnancy. It was almost a year ago, and he had gotten so far along. They knew that it was a boy...Lance had even chosen a name, even though Lotor didn't approve. Leo would have been his name. Leo because that was Lance's star sign, and it would have been his too, had he been born... Lance was heartbroken over that loss. Of course, he was heartbroken after every one of his tragic losses, but Leo... Leo was his strong little fighter. He survived two beatings, the doctor said that he was alright. But one day...Lotor went over the edge about a small mistake Lance had made, and that was it. His eyes burned with unshed tears and his hand found Shiro's hand again, lacing his fingers with his own. "I don't know..." he whispered. He wouldn't suggest Leo as a name for this baby. He would never replace his little Leo.

 

Shiro smiled, squeezing Lance's hand and guiding it down so they were both placed against Lance's stomach. "Hey, it's okay." He assured, not missing the way Lance suddenly seemed to deflate. He pressed a soft kiss against the top of Lance's head before nuzzling his nose there. "I think that's a beautiful name..." His hand cupped Lance's cheek gently. He could feel Lance curling into himself a bit, clearly showing signs that he needed comfort for whatever reason. Shiro brought the blanket around them more and figured they should maybe change topics. "You know, I'm kinda nervous," he started, switching things over to talk about himself. "It isn't that I don't trust my substitute teacher to do her job, but I can't help but worry, you know? Not that I regret being here with you." He kissed Lance's cheek. "Nothing could replace getting to have time off from work to be with you."

 

Lance seemed to relax a little bit more after that, his mind distracted by what Shiro was saying. Lance found it absolutely mind-blowing that Shiro was able to clear out Lance's head like that. Almost every time he spoke, almost every touch he initiated, every kiss, every interaction that Lance had with Shiro, just, calmed him. He smiled to himself, bringing their hands up to place a little kiss on Shiro's, then returning them to his tummy. He liked them there, it made him feel like they were a family. All that was missing was his two other babies. He missed them dearly, Shiro seemed to miss them a bit as well. "Awh, don't worry. I'm sure everything is going well." he assured, nuzzling his cheek against Shiro's chest and taking a deep breath. "I'm excited to see the twins again, I miss them so much."

 

Shiro moved his other hand to stroke Lance's cheek gently, planting more kisses against his head. "Sorry if my prosthetic arm feels a little rough against your face." He muttered, sighing as they sunk back into the bed. He dearly missed the twins too, and he couldn't wait for them to tell him all about their day. Just imagining it made him feel like he was a part of something he'd never had before; it made him feel like a father. He'd never considered he would be in this position, ever, even though he'd wanted something like this deep down...now, he had it, although nothing was official technically, since he hadn't specifically talked it over with Lance and the kids about being recognized as part of their family.

 

He sighed and moved his hand from Shiro's by his tummy and up to his hand on Lance's cheek, holding it in place as he turned his head to kiss the palm of Shiro's mechanical hand. He turned his head back to where it was before and pressed both of their hands onto his cheek, looking up at Shiro. "It's okay, I don't mind the feeling." he said softly, taking a deep breath and relaxing against Shiro. His small smile faded as his mind went back to the earlier events of the day. More particularly, when he and Shiro got separated. He closed his eyes and rubbed his thumb over the back of Shiro's prosthetic hand to try and distract himself. "Hey...thank you for saving me." he sighed after a few minutes, "...again." He laughed weakly. Shiro had been saving him a lot lately, and Lance was thankful, obviously, but he did feel bad that he hasn't done anything in return.

 

Shiro smiled at the kiss to his mechanical hand, looking down at Lance fondly and watching him rub his thumb against it. "Of course." His hand slowly moved down to cup Lance's chin, tilting it up towards him, and he leaned down so their foreheads were touching. "I'll do whatever I can to protect you. I promise." It was a promise to himself, too. In reality, those girls had gotten to Lance before him. He needed to be much, much better. He slowly closed the distance between their lips, kissing Lance once more as they relished in each other's warmth and safety. When he did pull sway, he glanced at the clock and slowly began unraveling from the blanket. "Hey, why don't we start going to get the kids?"

 

Lance let his eyes fall closed and kissed back gently, loving the feeling of Shiro's soft lips on his own. It was a new feeling every time he kissed Shiro, like he was experiencing it for the first time. When he pulled away, he rested his head on Shiro's chest again. When he started to get up, Lance did too,  smiling and nodding, excited to finally see his babies again. "I hope they had a good day." He said happily as he slid off of the bed and onto his feet. He looked up at Shiro, who was also standing. "I had a good day." He said with a smile. "It had its hiccups...but overall, I had a good day with you, Shiro. It was a good first date." he finished shyly, blushing a little and looking away.

 

Shiro was quick to hug Lance from behind, pulling him into him and peppering his face in kisses. "Yes it was." He agreed, relishing in Lance's giggles. It was music to his ears, and he'd do whatever it took to make sure he stayed happy. "Come on. Once we pick the kids up, we can take them to the mall to shop for new clothes! You can pick out whatever you want for them." He assured as they walked to his car. He knew Lance was still hesitant on him taking them to the mall, but he was excited more than anything. Not just for that; Shiro wanted to see the kids again, too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta love that angsty hurt/comfort amirite ;)


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro takes Lance and the twins to the mall to shop for some much needed clothes and experience some normality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some fluff after the angst bomb that was the last chapter.

They drove down to the school quickly so they could be there as soon as the bell rang. They kept their eyes peeled for Luna and Riley, and as soon as they saw them walking out, Shiro nodded to Lance.

 

They'd gotten out of the car and waited in small corner of the parking lot that parents could stand to wait for their children. When Lance saw Luna and Riley walking out of school together, he turned to Shiro with a big, excited smile. He turned his attention back to the kids when he heard them yell for him,    
  
"Papa!!" Riley squealed, breaking into a run toward Lance. He giggled as he and Luna practically raced each other. When he finally got to his papa, he threw himself into his arms, hugging him tight. "I missed you, Papa!" He said happily, moving over to let Luna hug Lance too.

 

The two of them snuggled their faces into his chest, trying to wrap their entire arms around him to show how much they missed him. Luna was practically bouncing up and down while they hugged, wanting to tell him all about their day and to know about his day.   
  
Shiro couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he stood back and watched them, glad that the family could still share a moment like this despite everything that had happened to them. He was itching to ask them about the substitute teacher, but let them have their moment.

 

"I missed you too, niños." Lance hummed happily, holding them close. When he pulled away, he stood up and took their hands and turned to Shiro.    
  
"Shiro!!" Riley yelled, letting go of Lance's hand and running to hug Shiro around the legs. He missed Shiro while they were at school too. The substitute teacher was nice, but he missed Shiro. He was glad that he spent the day with papa though, it was okay for Shiro to miss school if he was taking care of papa.    
  
Lance smiled and walked closer to them, taking his turn to stand back and watch fondly as his children hug Shiro excitedly. It was nice, it made Lance feel like they were a family. He liked that.

 

Shiro gasped silently, surprised at the sudden hug from both of the kids, but a smile quickly spread across his face, and he crouched down to scoop them both in his arms, lifting them up and swaying them both back and forth together in midair, smile widening as they erupted into a fit of giggles.   
  
Luna squealed and flailed her legs beneath her in delight. She would always love her papa's hugs and kisses more than anything, but never before had she and Riley been lifted into the air during a hug. "Shiro is so strong!" She exclaimed with glee.

 

Riley eeped and threw his arms around Shiro's neck. He was excited that Shiro picked them up, but he was also a bit nervous. He was never one for heights, and he hadn't expected Shiro to lift them up, especially so quickly.    
  
Lance smiled happily and walked back to his cute family. He loved foe warm feeling in the pit of his stomach as he thought about that word. They were a family. Of course, Lance and the kids were a family, they'd always been. But before Lance had Shiro, he had no one at all. He was miserable, constantly hurting, always lonely, never safe. But as Lance stood there and watched Shiro interact with his children, and remembering how Shiro was treating Lance himself, he realized that he didn't feel those things anymore. The pain of all of the things that Lotor had done to him was slowly fading away. Sure, Lance was still traumatized, who wouldn't be? But the point was, he was safe. He was safe, and he felt safe, but not only that, he was happy. Lance couldn't remember the last time he was truly happy, and the realization that what he was feeling was real happiness was so overwhelming for him. He was so thankful for Shiro. He loved Shiro so much. Tears burned his sparkling blue eyes. As he stepped closer to his family. He made eye contact with Shiro, a small smile on his face as he laced his fingers with Shiro's after he set the kids down. He held back the tears, he didn't want to cry here, plus it was silly to cry over something so...normal. But Lance never got to have normal. Never. And now that he finally had it, he didn't want to ever let go.

 

Shiro laced their fingers together, squeezing Lance's hand with a reassuring nod as they stepped close to each other. "Alright kids. Come on, let's go. Your papa and I have a little surprise for you before we get home! You're gonna have to try and guess where we're going." He lifted Lance's hand to gently kiss his knuckles before leading them back to the car.   
  
Shiro certainly knew his way with children, having been around them for a long time despite not being a father. Luna and Riley jumped around while following them, grabbing at Shiro and their papa, trying to get them to tell them the surprise. "It's a movie theater! I know it is!" Luna exclaimed, jumping up and down and even pushing them to walk faster because she wanted to hurry.

 

Lance laughed softly and shook his head, setting his free hand on his stomach without even noticing. "Nope, guess again, mija." He teased, looking down at her.    
  
"Mm...the pancake place?" Riley asked, seemingly deep in thought. No, that couldn't be it, they went there this morning! He thought and thought, then his eyes lit up and he looked up at papa and Shiro while he walked, "The ice cream shop??" He asked excitedly."

 

Shiro opened the door for the kids to jump in, which they did so very quickly, clearly excited to go wherever they were going to go. He could laugh and pat Riley's head. "Not quite; it's even better, because we can find ice cream there, too!" He went around to the driver's seat before getting in and starting out of the school, with Luna and Riley still excitedly going on about what the surprise could be. As Shiro looked them over in the rearview mirror, he observed their clothes, which were still the same ones they'd been wearing for a while. It made his heart ache just thinking about them being unable to wear other things; he was determined to provide for them. And for Lance, too. He reached over to hold Lance's hand while driving, silently reassuring him not to worry about Shiro spending money for him; this was what Shiro wanted to do more than anything.

 

Lance was deep in thought as they drove on, half thinking about how he was going to avoid buying things that are too expensive at the mall, and half about those women who saved him earlier today. Now that he was in his right mind and he could think better without panicking, he realized that the women looked vaguely familiar. He felt like he'd seen them before, and that was really scary. He began to wonder if they might be some of Lotor's spies, but he didn't even get half the thought into his head before Shiro took his hand and laced their fingers together. The thought went right out the window as Lance brought his focus back to the present where his children were talking and giggling in the backseat and Shiro was holding his hand. Lance smiled softly and looked at Shiro, taking in his features. He had a nice jawline, and his skintone was pretty, his eyes were so dark and mysterious, but they were also so fucking beautiful, and they could be so gentle. He didn't notice that he was staring until Shiro looked back at him for a brief second before returning his eyes to the road. Lance blushed and looked away, not knowing how to explain the reason he was staring if Shiro had asked.    
  
Riley was happily chatting with Luna, trying to figure out what their surprise was. "Somewhere where we can have ice cream and do something else too??" He repeated to Luna with big, excited eyes. The kids had never really heard of a mall aside from the occasional mention of it by their classmates at school. They'd never been there and they didn't really know what it was, so they'd never guess it on their own.

 

The kids didn't have to guess for long; they quickly arrived at the mall, and they were immediately squealing in delight. They had no clue what to expect, having no former experience to base their excitement off of, but they just knew Shiro wouldn't take them somewhere where they wouldn't have fun, and they were right. "Come on, everybody out!" Shiro said, unable to erase the grin on his face as they filed out. Luna and Riley stood in between Shiro and Lance as they walked towards the mall, all four of them holding each other's hands. It really was like two dads linked with their twins in between them. Shiro was so happy with this family dynamic in his life for once. The moment they walked in, though, Luna and Riley gasped and immediately tried to break formation to run ahead, only for both Lance and Shiro to hold them in place firmly. "Listen kids, this is a mall. It's a very big place with lots of stores and lots of people. No running off, and you can never let go of our hands, got it?" Shiro instructed.

 

Lance was just as excited as his children were when they walked into the mall, but as soon as the Riley tried to let go of his hand, he snapped his attention to his twins. He nodded sternly, agreeing with Shiro's instructions. "Yes, you need to be with one of us at all times, understand?"    
  
Riley nodded, jumping up and down excitedly. "Yeah! Where are we gonna go first, papa??" He asked, tugging on Lance's arm.    
  
Lance laughed and looked at Shiro, "I'm not sure...Shiro?" He smiled, blushing a little bit. He hadn't been to the mall in years, and it was much different than it had been when he came, so he didn't know much about the different stores.

 

Shiro smiled at all three of them fondly and brought them over to a map of the place. "Let's start with looking for children's clothing, why don't we?" He suggested. He located the nearest younger-aged clothing store and brought them there, making sure they would stay together. He didn't want Riley or Luna on their own obviously, but he didn't want Lance on his own, either. Especially after what had happened earlier, he wasn't letting him out of his sight. So, they would shop together. "You kids see something you like, you just grab it, understood?" Shiro suggested, although he figured Lance would be the mother and pick out a lot of what the kids would be wearing. After all, the kids were probably too young to care too much about what clothes they wore, especially when they'd already gone through the things they had in their life...yeah. Shiro was sure they had bigger problems that they thought about.

 

Both children stared up at Shiro with big eyes and big smiles, "Really??" Riley gasped, looking at papa, then back to Shiro. They rarely got to go shopping with papa when they were still living with sir, and even when they did, they never shopped for clothes!    
  
Lance sighed, knowing that it would be a challenge to get Shiro to spend less money on them. "With exceptions. We have to approve of it first." He added. The kids were old enough to pick out what they wanted, but sometimes they weren't the best at matching things. Lance wanted to make sure that the clothes his children bought were at least presentable for school and such. "You may walk around the store without us, but you are to stay together, take turns looking at what you want, and never, I repeat, /never/ leave this store without me or Shiro." He said sternly, looking at both children expectantly. He wanted them to have fun, so he didn't want to keep them tied to him the whole time they were here, but he also needed to keep track of them. He took a deep breath as both children hurried around a rack of clothing hand-in-hand. They would be okay, the store was small. He made a point to watch the door just in case. He turned to the rack of clothing that was directly to his right, and began looking through the items on it.

 

Shiro came up behind Lance, close enough for their shoulders to touch. "I'll admit, I'm not an expert on children's clothes by any means." He laughed at himself, just watching Lance look through the clothes without contributing much. He also kept a close eye on the kids, not just making sure they didn't go anywhere they weren't supposed to, but to also make sure they didn't get into too much trouble. Luna was grabbing different hats and putting them on for her and Riley to laugh at, and Shiro couldn't help but smile at the sight. They were so precious...he would never let anything happen to them. When she seemed to find one she genuinely liked, she came running back to them, showing them a sky blue scout hat. "Papa, papa! Look!"

 

Lance laughed softly and glanced at Shiro, "It's okay, me neither really. I just find what looks nice on them." he sighed, pulling out a white shirt with purple ruffles on the edges of the sleeves. "This is cute," he said as he looked at the tag, he would need to find Luna's size of course. He was distracted from doing that when the kids came running up to him, Luna wearing a cute hat. He smiled sweetly and tapped the edge of her hat, "That looks great, baby!" He laughed, "Can you find something to match?" he asked, looking around briefly.    
  
Riley whined and tugged on Luna's arm, "Come onnn I wanna go find clothes too!"    
  
Lance frowned at him, "Patients, mijo." he scolded, looking back at Luna, "Now, if you like that hat, you should try and find something cute to wear with it, yeah?" He suggested, kneeling down and tugging her closer to place a quick kiss on her cheek.

 

Luna nodded adamantly, taking the hat off so she could look at it while looking around the store. "Okay! Help me look!" She dragged Riley along with her as she went to look for more things that she liked. Shiro watched them go with a wide smile. Other people in the store didn't seem bothered enough to pay them too much attention, so that was good. He may just have to get defensive if he caught someone looking at the kids. He focused on Lance again, squeezing his hand. "Hey, don't you need clothes, too? Go on, shop for yourself. Get whatever you like." He kissed Lance's forehead softly. "You deserve it."

 

Lance blushed and smiled softly, "Thank you, Shiro...but I think I'll wait until we have things for the kids first. I can live without clothes for now, they should have nice clothes. They deserve it more." He sighed softly, returning his gaze to looking through the rack of clothes again. He frowned and made a small noise of confusion, "Hm? This shouldn't be in here-" he gasped softly when he pulled out what he'd found. It was a tiny onsie with a pink and yellow dinosaur on it. He leaned back against Shiro and smiled, "Oh...isn't this the cutest thing?" He loved it. He knew that it was far too early to be shopping for his baby, he didn't even know how big or small the baby would be, so they couldn't buy it. But oh, he just loved such small clothes. It made him excited to have a baby. God, he missed that. He loved his children so very much, but they really do grow up too fast. "I remember when Luna and Riley could fit into things this size..." he sighed sadly. In times like these, he misses the children he lost so very very much. More so than usual. He sighed and put the onsie back where he found it. It probably wasn't best to keep looking at it, it would only cause Lance more pain.

 

Shiro wasn't sure about leaving Lance without any new clothes, but they could discuss that later. He wasn't leaving the mall without something for Lance, though; that much he knew. He looked over at Lance when he took out the little onesie and couldn't help but laugh. It was indeed very cute. Shiro was around kids a lot and he knew how to be around them, but babies and infants were completely out of his expertise. It would be a completely new experience for him, and he was just as excited as Lance. His eyes couldn't help but wander to his stomach and back to the onesie. The baby wasn't technically his, but he couldn't wait to do shopping for it.   
  
"Papa!" Luna came back running back with multiple shirts, holding them up for them.

 

Lance laughed and bent down to look at the shirts she had found. He had underestimated her fashion sense, they were quite cute shirts. "Those are so cute, baby!" He said excitedly, showing some of them to Shiro. Riley walked around Luna with his head hung low, and walked up to Lance, burying his face in his shoulder. Lance looked surprised for a second before looking down at his son and laughing a little bit. "What's wrong, mijo?" He asked softly, lifting Riley up with him as he stood, holding him in his arms. Riley sniffled a little and leaned back so Lance could see his sad pout. "Luna found lots of clothes but I didn't find nothing b'cuz we were in the girls' clothes."   
  
"Aawh, you poor thing. I bet you're so grumpy that you can't even smile or laugh, hm? Think papa can get a smile out of you anyway?" Lance teased, tickling Riley a little bit. He just whined and hid his face in Lance's neck to hide his smile, trying to hide his little giggles. "Aw! I heard a little laugh, did you hear that, Shiro? I think I heard somebody laugh." He smiled at Shiro before tickling Riley again, making him giggle a little bit more.    
  
Shiro laughed along with them, smiling to the point where he thought his face would start hurting. Seeing Lance interacting with his children was always the most beautiful sight, and it was the thing that had drawn him in towards him to begin with. He had seen how good Lance was to his children, and now he saw that Lance was good and just so precious to everything in general. Riley and Luna were precious, too, and he wanted to make them happy, so he crouched down a little bit and rested a hand on Riley's shoulder. "Hey buddy, how about you and I go to the boy's section and look for clothes together there? Your papa and Luna can look at their clothes." He was a little uneasy about leaving Lance, but he knew he would cry out for Shiro if he needed him, and he really wanted to give these kids the full benefits of what it was like to have 2 guardian figures. They could go off and get their own things before meeting back up.

 

Riley suddenly stopped crying and looked at Shiro with a big smile. "Really??" He said excitedly. Lance laughed and kissed Riley's forehead, setting him down. "Go for it, baby." He smiled, glancing at Shiro with the same smile. He would never let his kids go with anyone but Shiro. He trusted Shiro with all of his heart. "Go have fun, boys." He smiled, kissing Shiro's cheek and messing up Riley's hair before letting them go to where the boy's clothes were. He turned to Luna and smiled at her, "Now what would you like to do just you and me, baby? Would you like to find more clothes, or go try on the ones you have? We could have a fashion show!" He said happily.

 

Luna nodded adamantly, looking her clothes over before looking around for where to go to try them on. "Yeah! Let's go, papa!" She exclaimed, grabbing his hand so he could lead the way. She wanted to do both; it was super exciting getting to have the freedom to look at clothes like this for once.   
  
Shiro held Riley's hand as they looked through racks of shirts. "Let's find something longer sleeved first, I don't want you getting cold." Shiro said. This was his first time alone with Riley, and he wasn't his teacher at all, now...he really did feel like he was something more as he held up shirts to Riley to see what fit and what looked best, holding his hand whenever they walked to a different section of the store. This was so nice...obviously it was new for the family because they never got to shop at a mall, but it was new for Shiro, too, because he never did anything like this with kids. He never went shopping with kids. It made him feel more parental already, and he liked the feeling…   
  
The little family finished with their shopping a couple of hours later and were now sitting in an ice cream shop. Lance decided to pass on ice cream and just settled for watching fondly as his babies happily munched on their own. He was completely exhausted, his eyes falling closed every once in a while, falling asleep like a tired toddler. Though he was only a couple of weeks in, his pregnancy had been taking a larger toll on him than a normal pregnancy would due to all of the stress he had been going through. This had been quite a long day as well, so he was more than ready to go home and go to sleep. He tried his best to stay awake though, jolting himself awake every time he began to drift off.    
  
They'd all managed to find clothes for themselves, even Lance got quite a bit of clothes, which definitely took quite a lot of coaxing from Shiro. He had to admit though, despite feeling bad for making Shiro pay for such expensive clothes, he did have fun. He had a lot of fun, all day today. Shiro really was a blessing for Lance. He made him so happy. He had probably thanked Shiro like 10 times in the last hour, and apologized for the imaginary inconvenience even more. Now though, he was sort of about to collapse. The poor thing was so tired, but it was clear that he was trying his hardest to keep awake. Just until they got home.

 

Shiro scooted his chair closer to Lance and wrapped an arm around his shoulder with a bit of a chuckle, trying to help his drooping form to stabilize and sit upright. "Woah there. You'll hit your head on something of you're falling in and out of consciousness like that. You should've gotten ice cream, the sugar could help you stay awake a little more." Shiro's fingers stroked through Lance's hair as Luna gasped and jumped up, standing on her chair and leaning over the table.

 

"Papa, you can have some of my ice cream!" She exclaimed, thrusting it towards him when Shiro mentioned it. He laughed at that. It was very sweet of her, but standing on the chair like that was dangerous, and Shiro told her so, so she got down. 

 

"It's okay, we can head home now. You two can eat your ice cream in the car. When we do get home, I can help you with your homework and you can tattle tale on the substitute some more. After we get the angel to bed, of course." He kissed the side of Lance's head and began helping him up and letting him lean on him.

 

Lance hummed sleepily, blushing lightly from when Shiro called him "angel." He was able to walk, but he felt a little nauseous as he did so, so he did lean on Shiro for most of the way. Once inside the truck, Lance thought that he would be able to stay awake long enough to get home, but at some point during the drive, his head slowly fell against Shiro's shoulder over the console. He didn't sleep well in the car, obviously, so he was half awake to hear the cute little conversations between the kids and sometimes Shiro. He loved this, the feeling of having a completed family. It made him feel so happy.    
  
When they finally got home, he made Shiro carry him into the house. He wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face in his shoulder, cuddling up against him and secretly enjoying his scent. The kids skipped inside after them, happily retreating to their new bedroom to get their homework out while Shiro put papa to bed. They would say goodnight to him later.

 

Shiro smiled the entire time he had Lance pressed up against him, arms weaved around him to support his back as he gave the kids the keys to open the door for him. They were more than happy to help, and were actually ecstatic to have the keys from Shiro. After they ran off into their room, he brought Lance to theirs. Yes, /their/ room. It belonged to both of them now, which was sort of ironic since the kids' bed was way bigger. He set Lance down on the bed and sat down beside him, pulling the blanket up and stroking Lance's hair. "You were very brave today." He whispered, watching him adoringly. He wasn't quite asleep yet, which was good, since Shiro wanted to talk a little. "You were so brave to face the outside world again today. I know things got bad downtown...I'm so sorry. But I swear to protect you and your children no matter what."

 

As soon as he was set on the bed, Lance got comfortable and pulled Shiro's pillow over to him, hugging and cuddling with it, his eyes closed as he listened to Shiro talk and focused on the feeling of his fingers in his hair. He smiled softly and opened his tired blue eyes to respond to Shiro's words. "I know...I trust you. That's why I was okay with going out again. I have you...as long as I have you, I'm safe..." he said softly, setting his hand on top of Shiro's. "Thank you. For...just for everything you've done for me and my family. Thank you for becoming a /part/ of my family. I was so lucky to have met you, the kids too, you really did change our lives so much, and we are so thankful..." his words were turning into mumbles as his eyes began to droop closed.

 

Shiro smiled and planted kisses against his head, chest swelling at the fact that he had the opportunity to hold someone like this, that he had the opportunity to kiss someone like this and to be considered a part of such a strong family. "I'm the one who should be thanking you." He whispered, making sure the blanket was around him cozily and tightly. He stayed with Lance until exhaustion was finally able to take him to the realm of sleep before delicately trying to pry his way free of Lance's hand. It was a bit difficult since he didn't want to wake him up, but Lance was /exhausted/, so Shiro managed to move without disturbing him much before heading off to meet with the kids to help them with their homework, and they were ecstatic that their papa could rest while they still had him there to spend time with them and help them. Their papa didn't have to juggle it all alone anymore. Shiro was there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would anyone be interested in roleplaying with me? I'm a Literate roleplayer and I usually rp some dark themes such as the ones in this book, but I always do my best to be as realistic as possible while still adding romance and such. My roleplay style is very similar to the style of this book (mostly because this book is actually an old roleplay of mine). So if anyone is looking for a literate roleplay partner to start an angsty roleplay with, I'm your gal. My @ on the Voltron Amino is Lancethecubanboi so if anyone is interested, dm me. ❤️
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance reveals more of the horrors he has lived through and Shiro does his very best to comfort and protect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING for mentions of past rape and failed pregnancies. 
> 
> I would put a warning right before the triggering scene but it's this whole chapter tbh.
> 
> Read with caution, lovelies ❤️

Lance stirred from where he was sleeping next to Shiro. He was curled up like a kitten, back against his new-found lover, cuddled close as the night clouds roamed the open sky. Normally, he slept great beside Shiro, snoring contently as he was pressed close to the rising heartbeat in Shiro’s chest by the brisk metal that constructed the alpha’s prosthetic. However, tonight was not one of those nights. 

  
It was dark in his dreams, murky and cold. He was suddenly back in Lotor's house, wearing his old ragged clothes. He barely had control of his body, forced to watch the horrors play out in front of him. Lotor appeared behind him and dragged him into the bedroom where he was thrown onto the bed. In mere seconds, Lotor was on top of him - smothering him. The suddenness of their naked bodies shocked Lance - the dream hadn’t started like this, had it?  Lotor laughed evilly as he started to cruelly thrust into Lance at an unforgiving pace. He spoke as he violated Lance. "You like this, don't you slut?" He chuckled as Lance screamed in pain. He could feel it. It felt so real. "This is where it begins! This is where you get the child that you'll kill!" He screamed. "You are pregnant now, omega. Do you really think that you will save this one? You are truly a fool!" He laughed, thrusting viciously again. Lance suddenly felt numb, as if it wasn't even happening anymore. And Lotor faded away, replaced by Lance's worst nightmare. All of his children, his babies. They surrounded him, there were too many...all of those he lost. "Why would you let us die, papa?" They all cried out, and so did he. He locked his eyes on a particular child who was sitting on his chest, suffocating him. It was Leo. He sobbed and tried to move but he couldn't. "I-I'm s-sorry, my babies, I-" small hands were around his throat now, clogging his personal pathway of air as Leo physically squeezed the life out of him. "We hate you, Lance. You let us die. It's your fault."   


And suddenly, dripping in a cold sweat, Lance was awake. He sat up immediately, letting out a terrified scream. He gasped for air when the scream subsided, hot tears running down his cheeks as he trembled violently. The salty, burning tears melding together with his petrified perspiration to form a concoction that dripped down the recently risen goosebumps on his face.  He could barely catch his breath. He felt nauseous. God, he was gonna be sick…

 

If the constant thrashing didn’t wake the deep-sleeping Shiro up, Lance's blood-curdling scream most certainly did. The moment Shiro's eyes opened, his arms leapt forward in a desperate attempt to grasp Lance in a firm and reassuring hug, as if it was an instinctual reflex ingrained under his skin. He sat up with the crying figure, and though he didn't know why he was crying yet, he was immediately pressing his head to his back and rubbing the back of his wrists and trying to calm him down. "Shhh...hey, it's okay, it's me, Shiro. You're sleeping in bed with me, you're in my house...come on, it's okay..." He whispered, pulling Lance against his chest so he could feel that it was indeed Shiro's body he was against. The deep and heavy thump of Shiro’s own heart pulsating against his flushed skin and echoing a soothing, steady rhythm into Lance's ar.  Shiro didn't find Lance's outburst weird at all; in fact, he'd been expecting it. One could only go through as much trauma, after all...and Shiro didn't even know all the trauma Lance had been through. He just held him, hoping his body and words could offer enough comfort from what must've been a crucifying nightmare.

 

With his trembling body pressed intensely against Shiro’s body, Lance let out a heartbroken sob. He felt incredibly nauseous, bile unconsciously rising in his throat - considering this, the next thing to happen wasn’t unexpected. Before Lance could even think it over, he threw the covers off, pushed Shiro away harshly and stumbled into the bathroom, collapsing by the toilet and emptying his stomach contents. He knew that this vomiting was only half caused by the horrors of that nightmare that were still gripping his mind.

The morning sickness had begun.   
  
He gripped the sides of the toilet, tears squeezing out of his tightly shut eyes as he retched,  choked and coughed up the vomit, the contents of what had been lurking in his stomach for the last few days were now evident. If he wasn't shaking hard enough before, he really was now. He felt so weak and scared, not to mention cold. He was still quite thin, and besides that, he'd just gotten sick, and woken up from an awful nightmare. The poor boy was falling apart.

 

Shiro stumbled back in surprise at Lance's push. He couldn't move Shiro much, but it was still a surprise as he watched Lance stumble into the bathroom to throw up into the toilet. He was still sobbing, and that made Shiro's chest crackle with ache as he slowly followed to the bathroom, watching as Lance remained hunched over the toilet, unmoving as he cried. Shiro slowly made his way over and crouched down next to him, rubbing his back. "Hey..." He whispered, grabbing a towel from nearby and handing it to Lance so he could wipe his mouth. He didn't touch him any more than just backrubs, not wanting to disturb him too much and not sure what to expect after being pushed. "Hey...I'm here. Don't worry..."

 

When Lance finally finished, he was exhausted and trembling, the distinct feeling of lightheadedness awkwardly floating back into his body. He moved slowly like he was moving through molasses, only turning to take the towel from Shiro. He wiped his mouth and the sweat from his face before letting his arm drop to his lap. He stared blankly at the floor for a couple of seconds before tears flooded his cheeks again. His breath hitched and he let out a shaky breath. "They hate me..." he whimpered, staring down at his trembling hands. He turned his head to Shiro as the individual voices of his children echoed in his head. Lance stared at him with tortured blue eyes overflowing with tears, "Th-They h-hate me, Shiro, they hate m-me!" He sobbed, his voice raising just above a whisper. The guilt and devastation from losing each of his unborn children was destroying him and he didn't have a way out. He couldn’t even picture a way out. He just sobbed and gripped at his hair with his fingers. "They hate me...it's my fault...it's my fault..." he repeated those words quietly, as if to himself, pulling at his own hair and sobbing.

 

Shiro's brows lowered as he clenched his teeth, he was hurt merely by seeing Lance hurt. He scooted closer before closing his arms around Lance, lightly at first, then embracing him tightly. "They don't..." He whispered. He wasn’t sure exactly what Lance was talking about, he couldn’t even make an educated guess - so instead he just tried to provide the omega love and support via little sweet chips and constant whispers of reassurance. He could be talking about his family, in which case, Shiro would say to just forget about them, but Lance could've been talking about anyone, so he had to be careful with his words. "It's okay..." He whispered again, resting his cheek against the top of Lance's head and squeezing him more, another covert attempt to lessen the shaking that racked through his crying form. "Tell me what's wrong. I'll listen. Was it a bad dream?"

 

Lance nodded and whimpered, a shuddering sob slipping from his mouth as he pressed himself against Shiro, his hands gripping his shirt tightly. "I-I w-was there..." he whimpered, "Lotor's house...he...h-he..." his voice trailed off, getting weaker with each word. He shivered and buried his face in Shiro's strong chest. "Can we...Can we go back to bed? I...I don't want to t-talk about this here." He whispered. He knew that it was time to tell Shiro about this. He had put it off for too long, especially now that he and the pups were living with him. He was so scared though, he was terrified that Shiro would realize how terrible of a person Lance really was. Lance’s internal monologue was solely conducted by the depreciating names and derogatory thi eternally when they lived together. He truly believed the terrible things Lotor said to him about killing his children, that it was his fault. He knew that Lotor was the reason they died, but he also felt that it was his fault because he'd ended up messing up and getting his children in that situation. And he really did think that they hated him.

 

Shiro nuzzled his cheek against Lance's head possessively before lifting him bridal style and standing up. "Of course." He reached expertly with his foot to flush the toilet before carrying Lance back to their bed and making sure he was comfortable in it. He sat next to him and squeezed his hand. Their eyes had taken a while but were now relatively adjusted to the dark, yet the overcautious Shiro still leaned over to the bedside table and turned on the lamp just in case. He wanted Lance to undoubtedly know that it really was Shiro there holding his hand. Also, waking up from a nightmare to darkness could be pretty terrifying. "Tell me everything. It's okay, you're not there now, I'm here." Shiro assured.

 

Lance looked at Shiro for a few deliberate seconds before slowly pushing himself forward and practically climbing into his lap, his arms around Shiro's waist and head resting dejectedly on his shoulder. "If I tell you...you have to promise that y-you won't hate me..." he whispered, hiding his face in the crook of Shiro's neck, where there was a notable absence of a mating mark. Unlike Lances own scared neck, marked with Lotor’s abusive bite, that was gingerly and gently healing over with every day he spent with Shiro. He tried to think of the best way to phrase what was plaguing his mind. It was a lot to take in, but also a lot to get out, especially for him.

 

Shiro's eyes widened in surprise at that as his hands immediately closed in around Lance's back, like it was instinct to hold him. He let Lance rest against him, sighing contently at being this close. "Yeah, of course." He whispered gently, stroking his hand through the back of Lance's full head of hair and helping adjust him to being more comfortable on his lap. "Of course I won't hate you. I never will. You can tell me anything, I promise." It was true; he would never hate Lance. Even if he did something bad, Shiro at least knew that wasn’t who Lance was now, and that was what was important.

 

Lance squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. "Okay..." he whispered, trying to think of the right words. "Remember....remember a couple of days ago...when I said that you don't know about all of the horrible th-things I've done?" He asked quietly, tightening his arms around Shiro's waist nervously. "I..." he trailed off, staying quiet for a long time before speaking again, "Shiro this i-isn't the first t-time I've been p-pregnant since the twins..." he said, his voice choppy and shaky.

 

Shiro looked down, eyebrows raising a little. That could mean a few things, but he wasn't going to jump to any conclusions, though. He would just listen to what Lance had to say. He pulled Lance closer to him to offer more support because he could tell it was getting harder and harder for him to speak, and Shiro needed him to know it was okay. "Go on." He urged softly, reaching around to hold and squeeze Lance's hand while he was on his lap.

 

Lance nodded weakly, swallowing nervously. "...Lotor liked to...h-he liked when I was in pain..." he started, then frowned, "N-No...that's not the right place to start." He mumbled softly, mentally recounting his steps. "He...you know how he saw me... I'm an omega, I was h-his omega...his o-object..." he whispered the last part, closing his eyes again as he tried to block out the copious amounts of pain that the memories brought back. "He wanted children, I-I can't imagine why...maybe he just liked to have them around to manipulate me...or maybe he just liked when I was pregnant...just so he could show off that I was h-his or something, I don't know...I've always wondered...maybe he's just insane.." his breath hitched and he buried his face in Shiro's neck again. "He's probably insane..." He whispered. There was a short silence before he continued, "He...he would...rape me..." he choked out, "And g-god I felt it...in that dream, Shiro, he..." he whimpered and let the stinging tears fall. "He would make me yell and scream...force me to be loud just to torture the twins..." he sobbed, "That day...the day of our first meeting, he...they didn't get sleep because I...I..." he whimpered and pressed his face into Shiro's collarbone, sobbing quietly. This was so hard...Lance had never had a conversation like this before and it terrified him. He had never verbally admitted to the abuse he had been put through. It sounded so much worse out loud - almost as bad as it felt. Lance wasn't sure if he could handle much more. He knew that he needed to though. He had to. Shiro deserved to know, needed to understand. And if Lance was going to tell anyone, he'd rather tell Shiro than anyone else.

 

Shiro's eyes widened the more he heard. The more he heard, the more things started making sense to him. He still remembered it, the day he and Lance first met. He remembered Luna and Riley looking so tired, he remembered how afraid Lance had been just to be in his presence, and he remembered seeing a deep and bruising mark on Lance's gorgeous Cuban skin. Shiro remembered that day and thinking about it in the context after a night that changed things completely. He never realized the twins were forced to listen to Lotor do something like that to Lance, had never even known Lotor did that. And then there was that thing Lance said, about Lotor liking it when he was pregnant, and how the twins weren't the last time. "Lance..." Shiro whispered, silently praying to a deity that he didn’t even believe in just for a hope that he was wrong. Regardless if he was wrong or not, Shrio wouldn't let it change his opinion of Lance, but rather allow it to provide another perspective on the tortured lives that Lance and the kids led before his abrupt entrance into their lives.

 

Lance whimpered, trembling in Shiro's arms. He knew that Shiro had figured out what he was trying to say, yet he also knew that he needed to keep going. "The twins...t-they were my first. I was nineteen..." he whispered, "What he did to me...i-it was the worst thing I had ever been through...but...I got my babies from it. It was so hard and I was so scared...but it was worth it. So..so worth it…” he trailed off for a moment before continuing, “They...they don't know about...th-the others..." he hiccuped softly. "I remember every single one, Shiro...some didn't have names, some did, but I remember every one of them..." he was back to whispering now, the raw emotion welling up in this throat and bubbling into his speech as he began to blubber and stammer again. "The first year...after the twins.. there were two. He...did it three times that year. One worked, and I was p-p-pregnant for two months before..." Lance let out a low whimper, "I fucked up...I-I don't remember what I did exactly, but I think...I think I broke a plate or something when one of his work friends were over for dinner..embarrassed him or something..." there was a silence before he let out a soft and heart-shattering sob, "He killed my baby, Shiro...and it was m-my fault. And it happened so many times a-after that..." he cried, "Nine times..." he whispered, "I've had nine miscarriages in the last seven years..." he said shakily. "I've lost nine of my babies...nine...and it's all my fault...they hate me and they have a reason to! I'm such an awful mother..I don't even deserve to be a-alive..." he sobbed into Shiro's shoulder. He had finally got it out. The hardest part was over. He hoped at least. That was unless his fear of Shiro rejecting him became justified…

 

Shiro's eyes weren't the only thing widening; his jaw dropped more the more Lance spoke because he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine Lance had been put through something like this; he knew there had been physical abuse (obviously) but this was on an entirely different level. Lotor had beaten Lance so regularly that every time he conceived, the baby had no chance of surviving.  Over broken plates? Lotor deemed the death of an unborn infant valid for things like that? It was even worse since Shiro knew how much Lance cared for his children. "Lance..." Shiro was on the verge of tears for some reason, he tilted Lance's face up with his large fingers and stared into Lance's ocean blue pools. "Lance, listen...that's not your fault. You didn't do anything, Lotor did...Lotor started and ended all of it, he's insane just like you said..." He kissed Lance's lips gently. "Lance they don't hate you...if anything, they hate Lotor...it's all Lotor, it's always been because of him..."

 

Lance nodded, but couldn't stop himself from crying. "I know but I-I was the one that messed up...I should h-have paid more attention to what I was d-doing...I deserved the beatings, I did, but they...th-they didn't do anything wrong. They didn't even get a chance to live life...I didn't even get to say goodbye.." he sobbed. "I loved them so much, Shiro...I still love them! I miss them all and I can't go through this again, I'm so fucking terrified that I'm going to lose this one too. I can't handle it, Shiro. I'm so scared..." he whimpered, wrapping one of his arms around his stomach.

 

Shiro rested his chin against the top of Lance's head protectively, shushing him gently while running his hand over his now shiny and semi-healthy hair. Lance was crying and shaking so much, and Shiro didn't blame him. He couldn't even imagine what it was like, literally. He was an alpha, so he would never be able to imagine what it was like to lose your children while they were still inside you. Not only was that awful mentally, but Lotor must have hit at such hard force and fast pace for the child to be killed. "Shhh...that isn't going to happen. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry that man ever raised a hand to you, but it's all his fault, not yours...I promise you never did anything wrong, that man just looked for reasons to hit you, do you understand?" Shiro whispered.

 

Lance sniffled and nodded weakly, hiding his face away in Shiro's neck while simultaneously taking a deep inhale of Shiro’s strong alpha scent. It had a placating effect on the already exhausted omega. He was so very tired now, not only from waking up and getting sick in the middle of the night but because he had just told the most emotionally taxing truth he had ever told in his life. He was so relieved that Shiro didn't kick him out or reject him in any way though. He focused on the beating of Shiro's heart as he lay against him, "What have I ever done to deserve you?" He whispered quietly, cuddling against him, his shiny stray tears slipping down his cheeks from his closed eyes.

 

Shiro smiled down at Lance, but it was a sad smile. It pained him to know that Lance had gone through all of this without anyone's aid and it pained him that Lance was obviously very much still facing consequences of all that abuse and damage. He was sure the children would never forget their awful time with Lotor, either. But now, he was here, and he would do everything in his power to give them nothing but happiness from now on. Shiro lovingly kissed the top of Lance's head before letting them fall back down onto the bed, pulling the thick covers over them before embracing each other in gentle cuddles - fighting the urge to just fall back to sleep with Lance. "You were the bravest and strongest person to ever live, and you still are," Shiro replied before shutting the lamp off and letting darkness surround them again. "That's what."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I haven't updated!!! It's been a long time. My life has been crazy and hectic and very very stressful. I've barely had any time to myself honestly. But I will try my best to get updates out for you a little more frequently! 
> 
> I hope everyone is having a great day/night!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small time skip. Lance, Shiro and the kids are doing well, it's almost Christmas time and Lance is very excited to spend his first free Christmas with someone he loves very much. He's happy, but when has happiness ever lasted for Lance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:   
> -Explicit violence

It's been a couple of months since that heartbreaking conversation between Shiro and Lance. Lance was now four months pregnant, and he was happier than he had ever been before in his life. His children were growing up nicely, they were happy too, and Lance couldn't have asked for a better way to spend his life. It was Christmas now, well, a few days before Christmas, and he and Shiro were out shopping for presents for the kids. They walked through the store together happily, Lance's hand in Shiro's, fingers laced together comfortably. "Hm, I think Riley would like a stuffed animal, don't you?" He asked as he leaned over the grocery cart and picking up a roll of cookie dough off of the shelf. They were also shopping for food for their Christmas dinner. Lance was so very excited, he had been planning their Christmas night for weeks and he wanted everything to be perfect. "We can decorate cookies!" He said, looking at Shiro happily, blue eyes sparkling.

 

Shiro chuckled as he watched Lance grab his ingredients. "Sounds fun. I don't know how good I'll be though; the kids are gonna have to teach me." The idea of decorating cookies with the twins and letting them teach him how to do it sounded like a blessing, and it got him even more excited for Christmas than he already was, if that was possible. He had already had Pidge and Matt get him a few presents to give for Lance, with his money of course, so that was what he was most excited for. He couldn't wait to see Lance's face when he opened all of his presents. The kids, too. Seeing their faces when they got presents was incredibly exciting. "We should get them matching stuffed animals." He suggested, raising their basket for Lance to put the cookie dough in.

 

"Hm, they're professionals. I'm sure they can teach you a thing or two." Lance smiled, leaning forward to press a quick kiss against Shiro's lips. When he pulled away, he smiled happily, "I think we have all of the groceries on my list, let's go look for some stuffed animals for our babies!" He exclaimed, pulling Shiro along with him as they left that isle. Lance was so excited for the holidays, he didn't pay any attention to the feeling of being watched. He figured that being with Shiro would ensure his safety, he trusted Shiro with his life.    
  
As they were walking along, Lance spotted something interesting. He didn't want Shiro to notice though, so he slipped his hand out of his and walked behind him a little. He watched Shiro as he turned the corner. He would catch up with him in a second. He turned to the item that had caught his eye, and picked it up, looking at it thoughtfully. It wasn't much...it was just a nice black picture frame with the word "family" carved into it in beautiful lettering. He smiled softly. He knew that Shiro never really had a family like this before they came along, and Lance had strongly implied that Shiro was a part of their family, but he had a feeling that this would solidify the idea. It would be a perfect gift, Lance wanted to put a nice picture of the four of them in it, maybe even replace it with a new one once the baby was born. He set his hand on his stomach as he looked at the frame. "So, what do you think?" He asked softly, looking down at his tummy that was quite visible now. "You think daddy would like this?" He smiled, thinking about how the baby would be able to call Shiro her father. It made him so happy. This baby would have a good life, he was so sure of it.

 

Ezor exchanged a look with Zethrid from where they were watching from just behind. The pup had separated itself from the alpha and there was an alleyway close enough in the opposite direction; Zethrid could probably drag him in and put him to sleep before he could make a sound and before anyone could notice that anything was wrong. "Hit him after you pull him into the alley so no one sees." Ezor said. "Lotor and Acxa said we can't cause a scene."   
  
Shiro was just smiling to himself as they walked, because shopping for the kids had become his favorite thing to do ever since they had gone shopping at the mall for clothes. Every time they put presents under the tree, the kids went ecstatic. He could still just remember how happy they had been when they had first put the tree up together as a family...Lance had been so happy, too. He turned to tell Lance about how happy he was, but paused when he noticed he wasn't there. He looked behind him; still not there. Panic seized him, and he immediately and rightfully assumed the worst as he rushed back the way he'd came, shouting Lance's name.

 

Lance looked up with a worried frown when he first heard Shiro call his name. He opened his mouth to call out to him, to tell him that he was here and okay, but as soon as he did, a hand covered his mouth and he was suddenly being dragged away. Panic struck his heart and he tried to scream but he couldn't. The frame dropped to the floor as he was dragged around the corner just as Shiro turned the corner on the other side of the isle. Panicked tears fell from his eyes as he tried to struggle. It wasn't long before he was dragged out of the store and into an alleyway. The person let go of him and he spun around to see the two women that saved him from that alpha months ago. He opened his mouth, but didn't get to say anything before he was hit in the head, hard. Everything went black, and his last thought was a silent plead for Shiro to help him.

 

Shiro looked around panickedly, trying to find any sign of Lance. "Lance...? Lance?" He took a few steps forward before he noticed a picture frame on the floor, with the word 'family' inscribed on it. He immediately knew what Lance had been doing. "Lance?!" He ran through the store, looking to see if he was in another aisle as quickly as he could before running out of the store and looking around like crazy. Lance didn't just leave; he had dropped the picture frame. Whoever did this had done it where they could be caught, meaning Lance had been directly targeted. Immediately, Shiro had his phone to his ear after dialing 911, praying that he wasn't too late.   
  
Lotor licked his lips as Zethrid dropped his runaway omega at his feet. The first thing his eyes traveled to was the unconscious thing's bulging stomach, and a smile quickly spread across his lips. "Wonderful." His eyes gestured to the bed, and the women were quick to take him over, tying him down for when he woke up.   
  
"That was easy peasy!" Ezor said cheerfully, stretching her arms above her head. "He's so silly, separating from that big bad alpha teacher! We would have gotten him anyway, but he just made it super easy for us! We should thank him when he wakes up!" She giggled.    
  
Axca rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest, eyeing Lotor. "Now that we've got him, what exactly are you going to do with him? You know that teacher is gonna have the cops on your ass in a matter of hours."

 

Lotor glanced back at Acxa before his eyes flickered back to Lance, unable to take his eyes off of him. God he was so beautiful...he was so beautiful and yet he had it in him to try running away. "Obvious, isn't it?" Lotor said. "I'll be the alpha to his omega. And we can avoid something like the police, I assure you. Now, it's a waiting game for me, for when he wakes. Leave us." 

 

"911 what's your emergency?" The woman operator recited, waiting for the caller to answer the question. 

  
Shiro panickedly and hurriedly explained that a kidnapping had just taken place and gave his coordinates so they could come to the store for the evidence, including the dropped picture frame and the store cameras. He was already freaking out, and even more fear gripped his heart as he called his substitute teacher to tell them to have Luna and Riley wait for him in the principal's office because he was coming to get them early.

 

"Of course, sir." Axca agreed.    
  
"It won't be long. I don't think Zethrid hit him too hard. He should probably be waking up soon! Oh! This is gonna be so fun!" Ezor giggled. "Do we get to mess around with the cops and stuff? Or maybe that alpha! Oh oh! Can we go kidnap the little kids! Awwe they're so cute, I'd love to keep one as a pet. Lotor you don't care about that girl, do you? I'll take her! She would be so fun to play with!" She went on and on. Axca noticed that Lance stirred a bit, and sighed before grabbing Ezor's arm and pulling her toward the door.    
"He's waking. Let's go." She said sternly, motioning for Zethrid and Narti to follow.    
  
When Lance woke up, he didn't know where he was, his head pounding. He groaned and tried to sit up, gasping sharply when he was forced back onto his back, his hands and feet tied to the bed he was laying on. Panic began to course through his veins as his blue eyed darted around the semi-lit room. "Sh-Shiro??" He called out, voice shaky. It was then that he remembered what had happened, and he began to hyperventilate. "Shiro!" He screamed, struggling desperately.

 

"'Shiro'?" Lotor spoke after he was done watching the omega's initial reaction of panic, walking closer to the bedside so his face was looming over Lance's body with a smirk. "How strange...I've never heard that name before. Tell me, was that Mr. Shirogane's nickname? Pity..." He leaned down, smirk never going away. It only grew with the more fear he saw in Lance's eyes, relishing in the way his pupils shrinked and eyes widened. "Because he's not here anymore. Miss me?" He reached down to trail a finger down the side of Lance's cheek, ending up with his pointer finger pressed against Lance's throat.

 

Lance's breath hitched and he actually forgot to breathe for a few long seconds. Tears immediately began to slip from his eyes as he stared up at Lotor. "No..." he choked. "No...this is a dream..." he whispered, shaking his head. When he felt Lotor's touch, though, he was thrown into reality and he let out a terrified sob. "G-Get away from me, Lotor! Let me go!" He struggled desperately, turning his head away, "Sh-Shiro!" He sobbed, screaming his name at the top of his lungs. He didn't know where he was, but he prayed that he was close enough for someone to hear. He needed Shiro. He was so scared. This couldn't be happening. Not now...he was going to kill Lance's baby and them him. "Please, Lotor...I-I'll do anything, I won't t-tell anyone! P-Please just l-let me go!"

 

Lotor made quiet shushing noises, letting his hand slip up to cup Lance's chin, thumb rubbing against it. "Oh...you poor thing. You look so scared, and I can't figure out why...after all, you brought this upon yourself by trying to run, even when I gave you everything. I don't think you have the right to be scared..." He let his nails dig into Lance's face, grinning and chuckling a bit. "Tell me, is this the most physical pain you've experienced in the last few months? Well, besides anything this guy might be causing you?" He gestured towards his stomach, nails digging in deeper. "I hope you haven't become a softie...as much as I love your voice, I'd hate to have to build you up again. Dear lord...I spend so much time making you stronger, making you used to pain, and you've gone and lost even that, haven't you?" He leaned forward to whisper in Lance's ear. "What a bad omega you are. And you remember what happens to bad omegas, yes?"

 

Lance whimpered and cried when Lotor dug his nails into his face, trembling violently. "P-Please..." he whispered, fear choking him. He wanted to curl up and protect his baby from this awful man, but he was tied tightly, he couldn't move his arms or legs. He was completely exposed and at the mercy of this psychopath he was forced to call his husband. "No...no please..." he sobbed when Lotor asked about what happens to bad omegas. Flashbacks and nightmares flooded the poor omega's mind as he choked on his breath. He was so scared. "Shiro..." he whispered, whimpering and crying as he tried to turn his head away from Lotor's hand.

 

Lotor's eyes narrowed, and he began crushing Lance's jaw between his hand harder, rage fueling his muscles. It was almost to the point where he couldn't control himself, and only when he started hearing a crack did he force his hand away from Lance's face, breaths picking up angrily. "You would do well to watch your words, you shit bag omega. Say no name other than mine, or else you won't be the only one getting hurt tonight." He wasn't going to be the only one getting hurt tonight anyways, but the threat would still be valid and Lotor knew it. "So, I haven't seen you in a while." He sat down, stroking the side of Lance's face. "Tell me how you've been."

 

Lance cried out when Lotor tightened his grip on his jaw, yelping in pain again when he felt something crack. Tears cascaded down his freckled cheeks as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried his best not to make any more noises. Lance gasped for breath when Lotor let him go, whimpering and trying to move his jaw to make sure it wasn't broken. He opened his mouth to say something, though he wasn't sure what he would have said. He clamped his mouth shut once again when Lotor growled an angry threat toward him, clearly threatening the baby as well. "P-Please don't hurt my baby..." he whispered, the tears now uncontrollable as he stared at Lotor with pleading eyes.

 

Lotor clicked his tongue against his teeth, letting his hand caress Lance's stomach with a sly smirk. "You mean our baby. It's mine too, don't you forget it." He reminded, pressing down with his nail threateningly and indenting Lance's stomach for a few seconds before pulling up. "Don't worry, you naughty thing, I won't be hurting the baby, so long as you cooperate." That was a lie. "So, how have you been?" He repeated his earlier question, knowing Lance knew the consequences for forcing Lotor to repeat himself. Such a stupid omega, so stupid how it always just pleaded for mercy instead of doing as he commanded. His hand traveled back up to cup Lance's cheek. "Holiday season, isn't it? How are the twins? You haven't gotten them killed all by yourself yet, have you? That would be a real shame; the boy is mine after all." He still had no recollection of their names.

 

"We've b-been fine, no thanks to y-you." Lance growled, the pure fear driving out his survival instinct, which, as a mother, was quite defensive talk. "My babies are safe with Shiro, you'll never get to them. Neither of them belong to you, you disgusting monster. You don't even know their fucking names." Lance spat in his face, his mind clouded with fear and anger. "Let me go you sick bastard!" He struggled desperately, trying his best to free himself, though he knew that it was futile in the end.

 

Lotor rose an eyebrow, surprised by the omega's stupidity. There was no bravery behind it; not to Lotor, anyways. He stood and walked across the room, retrieving something from the cupboard before walking back to sit on the bed. "I see. Is that so? That's good. I'm glad they're safe." He lifted his hand to show Lance the knife that he had just retrieved. "At least two of your children get to be safe. Unfortunately, the more you disrespect your alpha, the more doomed this one is." He began lowering the knife towards his stomach. "But I guess after losing so many children, you just don't care about losing any more. If that isn't the case, of course...then you'd best apologize. Apologize for running away. Or else; you know what I'll do."

 

Lance's eyes widened and suddenly he came to his senses. His eyes filled with tears as he stared at the knife with big, terrified blue eyes. "N-No wait...please..I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking my words through...I-I'm so sorry, Alpha.." he repeated over and over, shaking his head, keeping his eye on the knife. He whimpered as he came to the realization that this was really happening, and he was most likely to die in here along with the innocent baby in his stomach. "Please..." he whispered, shaking his head. "Please don't do this..."

 

Lotor let the blade of the knife trail against his stomach, not hard enough to cut or leave any marks by any means; yet. "Oh? Why?" He rose an eyebrow, licking his lips at Lance's trembling. Finally, he was showing the respect he was expected to show. Lotor could tell his time away had certainly dulled the omega's already stupid brain and made him think he could do things other than carry children. Then again, he couldn't even really carry children; even a simple task like that, expected of all omegas, was impossible for his omega simply due to how incompetent and stupid it was by always doing stuff like this. "Why would I not punish you? You knew the consequences. If I didn't know better, I'd say you wanted me to punish you." He leaned down to kiss the stomach. "You hear that? Mommy wanted you to get hurt."

 

Lance sobbed and shook his head, struggling weakly, "No, no no no no, please don't hurt my baby! I-I'll do whatever you want, I swear. P-Please just don't hurt her, please..." he whimpered. He hadn't meant to let the gender of the baby slip out, he really hadn't. But he did, and he barely even noticed as he cried and struggled, gasping out pleas of mercy for his unborn child. She didn't deserve this, she was supposed to have a good life with Shiro and Lance and the twins. She couldn't die here, Lance couldn't handle that. "Please I'm begging you don't hurt my baby..." he sobbed desperately.

 

Lotor rose an eyebrow, allowing the knife to stop against the stomach, applying more pressure. At this point, Lotor was an expert at knowing what was too much and what was too little. He knew how much pressure to apply to the knife so it would press against the skin without penetrating even slightly, so there would be no blood or injury. Only fear. "'Her', huh. Well that's no good...I have no reason for her. I need a son who I can teach to be a proper alpha. Shame. She really should go, preferably as soon as possible so we can try again. I'm sure it hardly matters, though; you'll kill any baby that grows in you. I'm sure deep within their soul somewhere, every baby is thankful they don't have you as a mother, because you kill all of them." He leaned forward with a grin. "What would your precious alpha think of that?" He asked, not knowing Shiro already knew.

 

Lance whimpered and cried, finally just going limp against the bed he was tied to. "H-He...I-it's not my fault..." he whispered. "It's not my fault...it's yours...you're the one who does this to me!" He sobbed, "Have you no soul at all?! Y-You fuck me senseless just to get me pregnant and then you kill the baby like it means nothing to you!" He yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks. The time he was with Shiro really had opened his eyes. He understood that it wasn't him that was at fault for this. It was Lotor. And there was absolutely no reason for the torture he was put through. "I love my babies more than life itself! But it was not my choice to carry so many children! It was not my choice for them to die!" He screamed the last part, sobbing his heart out. "You are a monster! My children do not deserve this!" His voice became weaker and weaker as he squeezed his eyes shut again, shaking his head and pulling weakly at the ropes that held his wrists away from his stomach. "Please...please don't hurt her...I need her..you've taken so much from me...please don't take my baby girl away from me.." he whispered.

 

Lotor's face shadowed as he listened to Lance, grip on the knife tightening. "...oh?" He scooted forward a bit, trailing the knife up Lance body lightly. "That's what you think now? You believe you don't have to take the blame anymore?" The knife reached Lance's face, a small cut allowing small crimson droplets to roll down his cheek. "How very irresponsible of you. I thought I raised you better than that. Pity." The knife pressed harder and harder as Lotor slowly looked straight into Lance's eyes, seething in anger and quickly losing his composure. "Let me remind you that your fuck ups kill everything around you! You're mine and you belong to me, and I can do anything I want to you! You could obey, you could do as I say and then none of your babies would be dead, but in the end you kill them all, just like you'll kill this one!" He let his other hand strike Lance's stomach once, a grin spreading across his face at getting to hit him and take his anger out on the unborn child.

 

Lance kept his eyes shut tightly, biting his lip to keep from yelling out when the knife began to dig into his cheek. "Please..." he whispered, tears falling along with the drops of blood. He did scream out, however, when Lotor delivered a hard punch to his stomach. He coughed and cried hysterically, shaking his head as much as he could without causing the blade to dig deeper. "No! Lotor please please s-stop this!"  He cried out, "I-I'm begging you! Don't hurt my baby please!" He sobbed and pulled at the restraints on his arms, trying his hardest to free his arms so he could protect the helpless child inside of him. "Lotor please!" He whimpered, not even caring about the cut on his cheek anymore. This man was hurting his daughter, and he had to save her. "Please I'll do anything!" He sobbed, "Don't hurt my baby!" God, he wished Shiro was here. Shiro would save him and his daughter...he needed Shiro...he cried and prayed silently that Shiro would find him soon…

 

Lotor ignored his words, but took great pleasure in stopping to listen to his voice, his cries and screams. This was what he needed to hear; hearing his useless omega crying and begging for him to stop was the only thing that could quell the fury Lotor felt towards that alpha, the one that had raised a hand to him. Indeed, Lotor was fully intent on punishing Lance...but that wasn't the only reason he needed an outlet for his anger. That alpha who had broken into his house and attacked him...and then, those children... "Your baby will suffer. They will all suffer. I'll kill everything you love; /slowly/. Apologize for being a bad mother while you can." He dug his knuckles into Lance's stomach again, and again, and then a third time before lifting his hand away, panting. Taking his anger out felt incredible...he had missed this…

 

Lance screamed and pulled on the ropes, sobbing and shaking his head, "No...no no! Lotor please!" He whimpered, "You've t-taken so much from me, just let me have her, please, please!" He sobbed, trying to move his legs as well. He couldn't though, it was a lost cause. Eventually he went limp and gasped short breaths as he prayed and wished that Shiro would come to save him. Maybe if Shiro came now, he would be able to get Lance to the hospital early enough to save the baby. "Shiro, Shiro please c-come get me.." he whispered between sobs. He missed his babies, he missed Shiro, and he already missed his baby girl who's fate was sealed as soon as Lance decided to separate himself from the man that could have protected her and her mother both. Now it was only a matter of time before both of them no longer exist. "Please please please..." he whispered, whimpering as he tried not to focus on the pain in his stomach. Lotor had stopped hitting him, but the pain was still there. "Shiro please..."

 

Lotor's eyes narrowed, growing angrier by the second the more Lance called out for the alpha that had stolen him. He put a pause on hitting the baby to lean back over Lance's face, his eyes dripping with venom. "Yes, call for the other alpha; I want to see him, too." He breathed into his ear, tongue swiping over Lance's earlobe. "I can't wait. Your little girl is going to die inside you, you'll hear her screams at night. Then, that teacher will be next. He's already missing one arm, so I think I'll start off by taking his other limbs. He'll suffer slowly, it'll be his turn to know pain. And it'll be all because of you. The twins will be next; they called him last time, didn't they?" The flat side of the knife caressed Lance's throat. "You'll get to live, don't worry. You'll get to live long enough to watch them all drop at your feet. Then you can bear me more children, but they'll be separated from you at birth, and I'll raise them right. They won't be your children; they'll just come from your body. That's your fate."

 

Lance sobbed and shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to block out everything that was happening. He just wanted to wake up, this had to be a bad dream...he wanted to wake up and cry in Shiro's arms, he longed to sit on the couch with Shiro and drink hot tea while cuddling, a movie on low volume in the background. He longed to hug and cuddle with his twins and let them hug and kiss his belly every time they wanted to talk to or about their new baby sister. They knew about the baby this time. Lance had told them because he didn't suspect there to be the risk of losing her. He didn't know what to do, but soon, the pain, panic and anxiety got the best of him, and he slipped into a peaceful unconsciousness. Not before whispering the name of the one person that could save him from this hell, "Sh-Shiro..."    
  


Lotor's eyes narrowed as he stared down at Lance. The useless omega had knocked out from shock alone. What a weak thing. Sure, Zethrid had hit him earlier, and Zethrid really didn't know how to hold back so his head was honestly probably pretty messed up at the moment, but still. To see him go blank like that made Lotor scoff. He couldn't hit him. He needed the omega awake, to feel the pain. He couldn't hit him while he was unconscious. He decided to take a break for himself, then, to continue going over his plan and to make sure the police didn't find them.

 

***

  
Meanwhile, it had been a matter of hours since Lance's disappearance and Pidge and Matt had met up with Shiro as soon as they could. "What the hell is happening?? How did this happen?? Do you know who would take him?!" Matt asked frantically as he looked around. They were at the police station, many officers bustling around with different cases, but most were working on this one.

  
  
Shiro had his head gripped in his hands, with Riley and Luna at his side, still confused as to what was happening. He had just picked them up from school and then gone straight to the station to see if the police found anything, but he didn't know how to explain the situation to them. He didn't know how to tell them he had let Lotor get their papa. He stared up at Matt and Pidge with wild eyes; he had no clue what to do or what to say, but he needed their help. "It...it happened all of a sudden...his name, it's Lotor..." He bit his lower lip when he saw the children flinch at the name, but he kept his attention on the Holts. "His name is Lotor, he's a wealthy alpha from a family of influence; enough influence for another family, the McClains, to sell their omega son over just for money. Find what you can on him, please, use any means necessary. Matt..." Shiro swallowed hard, looking at the desperately, though he knew they loved Lance enough to do whatever it took, too.

 

Riley had been worried ever since they were told that Shiro was here to pick them up. Sometimes Shiro and Papa would surprise them by picking them up early and taking them out to eat or to get ice cream or something, but Riley had a bad feeling about it this time. They weren't going to get ice cream today. When he saw Shiro, he got even more scared. Papa wasn't there with him, and Shiro looked scared too, like he was gonna cry. When the Holts got to the police station where they were, Riley was almost in tears, he was so scared and he didn't know what was going on. He had asked Shiro multiple times where his papa was, he wanted papa, he had a really bad feeling.. his bad feeling was confirmed when Shiro was trying to explain to Matt and Pidge. Riley let out a panicked whine as Shiro finished explaining, he grabbed Shiro's arm and looked at him with tears streaming down his cheeks, "Wh-What about sir?? Shiro where's papa? Did sir get papa??" He whimpered.    
  
Matt bit his lip, his eyes burning as he looked at Pidge. This was not good. "I-I'm not as good with finding people as Katie is. Maybe I could team up with the officers and contribute some of my knowledge and tracking skills." He was going to walk over to find the head officer of this case, but he hesitated, sighing softly and setting a hand on Shiro's shoulder. "Hey, we're gonna find him, try not to destroy yourself over this. He's gonna be okay." He tried his best to deliver hope for his best friend. It was all he could do at the moment.

 

Shiro scooped Riley up in his arms, squeezing him tight to give them both comfort. Luna was crying much more silently  as if still processing what was going on, and somehow, that was even more heartbreaking for him to see. He offered her his arm, and she immediately buried herself next to her brother in Shiro's chest as the family squeezed each other. "Thank you..." He whispered to Matt and Pidge before nuzzling his face against the children. "I'm so sorry...I should've protected him, but suddenly...he just disappeared..." He managed to pull himself together a bit for the children, taking in a deep breath. "But we're going to get him back. Yeah? Hey, it's okay...papa's gonna be okay, the police will get him..."

  
Riley whimpered and wrapped an arm around Shiro's neck, burying his face in his neck. "Sir is really scary, Shiro...he's gonna h-hurt papa..." he whispered shakily. "I don't want him to hurt Papa or baby..." he cried softly.    
  
Matt took a deep breath and turned, whispering a quiet "Try to find him..." before kissing her on the forehead and walking away to find an officer to speak to. The siblings would do whatever they could to help. Shiro was their best friend, and Lance was such an amazing person, he didn't deserve this. Shiro seemed really very upset, which was completely understandable. They would help him, definitely.   
  
Shiro had to take several deep breaths as he struggled to calm the kids down. All he could do was feed them uncertain promises. He turned to Pidge as his hands stroked through the twins' hair. "Pidge. Call Allura and her father." Pidge's eyes widened a bit, but she gave a determined nod and dialed into her phone, stepping away a bit to talk. That made Shiro feel a little better. Allura and Alfor could probably help them a lot, both with the investigation and in the proceeding justice that would ensue once they found Lance and Lotor, because they /would/ find them. For now, though, Shiro could only rock the children back and forth in his lap, arms wrapped around them tightly. "It'll be okay. It'll be okay. Your papa is stronger than Lotor. We'll find him..." Shiro swallowed hard, mind flashing back to Lance's story of all the times Lotor hurt his unborn children. He was so scared for the baby...he was so scared for Riley and Luna's baby sister...but he had to be strong right now. He had to be strong until he had Lance back in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating for so long. Things in my life have been very very complicated and stressful and I've barely had the time to reply to any roleplays, let alone actually proofread and update this fic. The good news is that it is now spring break and hopefully I will be able to update enough to finish the book! It's almost done guys :( unfortunately I don't have chapter 23 pre-written like I had the rest, so it's possible that one might take a while for me to release because I'll have to write it up when I get the time. 
> 
> I have an idea for another fic, but don't get your hopes up 😂. Lately I've been sad because there are no good Lotor fanfictions out there. Everyone portrays him as the villian (including me), and I'm sad because deep down he is a bean and he needs love and appreciation as well. If any of you know of any good angsty Lotor fanfics please comment the name of them down below. Preferably Lancelot, but I don't mind Lotura, or just fics without relationships focused on Lotor. Anyway thank you for reading and hopefully I'll be able to get a new chapter to you soon! Maybe even today~


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More pain, desperation- oh, and a phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> -Graphic depictions of violence (same as last chapter pretty much)   
> -Sexual assault (just touching)

Acxa was put on watch duty over Lance while he was unconscious, having apparently knocked out from shock. So she sat with her legs crossed, watching him as he slept with disinterest, as she had for the last few hours.

 

After he passed out, Lance was trapped in a dark, dreamless sleep. That is, until the nightmares began. He woke up in the same place he'd passed out in, but it was different, there was something different. He gasped as Lotor emerged from the shadows with a smirk, a small bundle of something in his arms wrapped in a blanket. Lance gasped as the sound of a baby crying filled the air and Lotor laughed. The baby's cries suddenly turned into voices, echoing all around him. "Why did you let him kill us, papa? Why?" The voices said, all at the same time. "No. ." Lance whispered, staring at Lotor with big, terrified blue eyes. "N-No.." Lotor just laughed and held up a knife, slowly lowering the blade toward the crying baby in his arms. "Help us, papa! Help us!" The voices cried. Lance screamed and thrashed around, sobbing and yelling for Lotor to stop. That's when he woke up, he woke up and realized that he was in the same dark room, thrashing around in the same awful bed he was tied down to. He let out another heart-wrenching scream and slumped down against the bed, sobbing heavily and weakly pulling at the restraints. "Why, why, why, why..." he whispered, his eyes squeezed shut tight. "Why me? Why, why, why..." he breathed between sobs. "They didn't deserve to die..." he whimpered before letting out another sob. He needed Shiro so badly. He wanted to wake up and be with him...to spend Christmas with him and his beautiful twins. "Shiro...please save us..." he pleaded into the darkness, not noticing Axca there.

 

Acxa was only slightly startled by the sudden scream. She had sort of been expecting it in all honesty, but the omega's voice was much more piercing than she had anticipated. Apparently Lotor enjoyed this sound? She couldn't relate; it was grating on her ears. But, alas, she was on watch duty. "Quiet yourself." She ordered, standing and walking to the bedside with a hand on her hip. She more or less knew every detail of the situation. Sure, some parts of the story were a little jarring...but Lotor was her boss. She stared daggers through the sniffling omega. There were some bruises on his body, but Lotor hadn't hurt him too much yet. She was sure there was much more pain coming.

 

Lance jumped and whimpered when Axca made herself known. She had startled him, which only fueled his pitiful sobbing. "Y-You...you work for him, don't you...?" He whispered after a few seconds of staring at her with wide eyes. "You...p-please...please help me...y-you don't have to betray him by letting me go...but please..please help me save my baby." He whimpered. "Please..I-I'll do anything...h-he can do anything to me, he can fucking slit my throat if he wants to, but m-my baby...I d-don't want him to hurt her..he's t-taken so much from me...please." he pleaded desperately between sobs. "I'm begging you, s-she deserves a chance to live..." he knew that this woman wouldn't give in to anything he was saying, but the attempt was so worth it in his eyes. He would do anything he could possibly do to save his child.

 

Acxa blew at a piece of hair lingering over her forehead, arms crossing as she looked him over. The child was indeed safe still. Lotor hadn't inflicted too much damage just yet. Still, Lance's words fell on deaf ears. "You're begging the wrong person. Save your pleas for Lotor." She did find this situation somewhat disturbing, but she was conditioned to stay out of it. She took her job very seriously, after all.   
  
Lotor himself entered the room before their conversation could continue, and Acxa sighed in relief. "All yours. I'll be nearby." They nodded at each other as they passed before Acxa left the room, glancing back at Lance one final time. Now, Lotor was the one at his bedside, leaning down to cup the omega's cheek. "Hello, sweetie...are you going to be nice to me today?"

 

Lance whimpered pathetically and shook his head weakly, "Please...don't do this, Lotor. I-I will stay with you..I will never run away from you and I will listen to your every order, I-I will be the omega you've always wanted me to be. Just please...please let my baby live. Please. A-As soon as she's born I...I'll go with you..." he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks. He was fully prepared to throw away his life with Shiro and his children to save this child. "Y-You want me to be obedient don't you..? I-I will be...if you /just/ let my baby girl live..." he stared up at Lotor with big, wide, blue eyes full of fear and desperation. He really was a true mother, ready to risk everything he had just to save his child.

 

Lotor hummed softly to himself, continuing to stroke Lance's face, reveling in his shivering and squeaking. His words pleased him, as well. This was much better than that defiance from yesterday, but that was to be expected. Lotor would have to quickly train him to be obedient once more. "...I don't believe you." He whispered, smirking at the fear in Lance's eyes. "Don't think I'm stupid, useless omega. I know how you work. You'll use your words and your charm as an omega to try and win an alpha over, even me. Then, once you get your way, you turn back on it and run away whenever it suits you." His fingers ran down Lance's cheek. "However, I will let the baby live. On one condition. You're going to have to do something for me." Lotor slowly brought his phone out, dragging out the agony from Lance.

 

Lance's eyes widened and he lifted his head to look at the phone, then at Lotor. "A-Anything...I-I'll do anything. Please, j-just tell me what I can do to save her and I'll do it, I promise. I promise." He sobbed, tugging weakly at the restraints as he spoke. He didn't know what he was getting himself into, but he did know that he would do anything for his daughter. Anything to give her a chance to live. "Wh-What do you want me t-to do?" He asked, his fear and nervousness showing through his eyes and echoing in his voice as he eyed the phone.

 

Lotor's tongue darted out over his lips while his fingers danced over Lance's lips with feather-soft touches. "Your daughter can live. I'll let you give birth to her. In exchange, we'll be together again." He leaned down to breathe against Lance's ear. "All of us. The whole family. You're going to tell that other man to hand over /my/ children. You want that too, don't you? For us all to be together again? It'll be just like old times, and you'll get your new baby. She'll live." His hands began dancing over Lance's stomach. "Of course, those twins ran away with you, so they'll have to be punished...also, I can't risk my son growing up wrong. He'll be spending most of his days with me from now on, if he survives the punishment."

 

Lance felt betrayed. He didn't know why, he should have known that what Lotor was saying was a trap. He should have known...his eyes filled with tears as he stared up at the evil man. "No..." he whispered, shaking his head, "No you can't...n-not them...please..." he whispered, choking on his cries, but then he got an idea. Lotor was...letting him speak to Shiro on the phone...his eyes widened and he returned his gaze to Lotor. "You'll...you'll let me say goodbye to him." he whispered, his tone slightly demanding. "You'll allow me to say goodbye...and the children too...and you will not kill my babies...I will do what you ask under those conditions...and those conditions only." He whispered, tears falling fast. He didn't want Lotor to have any of his babies...he didn't want to give up his only son, Lance's own pride and joy, his little boy who had grown up so sweet and innocent and kind-hearted. He didn't want to give him up...he so hoped that Shiro could find a way around this...he hoped that everything would turn out okay, at least for them...Lance was aware that things would more than likely turn out bad for he and his little unborn daughter. He just wanted the rest of his family to be safe. He hoped to god that Shiro wouldn't give them up...he wouldn't...he trusted Shiro with their lives.

 

Lotor nodded, smile spreading across his lips. He just wanted to have the children back beneath him already along with his omega. It was a bad reputation for him if he allowed himself to be the alpha who allowed his omega and children to run away. No, that couldn't do. He needed them for his rank. He undid the bindings on Lance's arms, finding them unnecessary since he couldn't run or fight anyways, dialled in the other man's phone number that Acxa had already gotten for him. The answer was even quicker than he had anticipated, and he could only smirk at the sound of the other's stressed voice. "Mr. Shirogane. It's a pleasure to be talking to you once again." He could just imagine the enraged look on the man's face, and Lotor couldn't help but feel his stomach twist. Of course he hadn't told the clueless omega everything. Lotor was itching for revenge, to pay back the damage that had been inflicted upon him from that metal arm. He had every intention of taking that man's other arm...but for now, he would play them both. "Now, now, don't get angry with me, the omega was never yours to take in the first place, and neither were the children. Speaking of which, I believe it has a few words for you." He nodded to Lance and handed the phone towards him. He and his omega had the custody rights to the children, so the other man would have to hand them over when the omega told him to otherwise it would be considered kidnapping.

 

Lance grabbed the phone as soon as it was offered to him, almost dropping it. He pressed it to his ear with both hands, tears still spilling from his eyes. "Sh-Shiro...?" He whispered into the phone, his whole body shaking with fear and dread. He didn't want to threaten Shiro like this. He didn't want this at all. But in the moment, he was slightly relieved that he was able to speak to Shiro. He missed him so much. Now that he had been untied, he moved so his legs up to his chest and one arm was around his slightly bruised stomach. He squeezed his eyes shut as he waited to hear the voice of the man he loved. He wanted to forget that Lotor was there. He wanted to pretend that Shiro was with him. He wanted to pretend that he and his daughter were safe. Just for a moment...just a moment of safety before his life shatters once again.

 

Shiro's eyes widened at the sound of Lance's voice. He had literally just been pacing back and forth in their room when he got the call. "Lance?!" He exclaimed, heart picking up even more than it had been before when Lotor had been speaking with him. He thought he might collapse and explode at the same time, his body was getting so unstable with emotion as he clenched his fist and tightened his jaw. "Lance, listen! I'm going to get you out of there, I promise! I swear I will, so just stay put and be safe until I get there and I'll rescue you, I promise!" He was speaking out of sheer desperation, eyes wide as he shook and gripped the phone tight so he wouldn't drop it. He was so scared, but his fears were on the backburner. He needed to save Lance.

 

Lance whimpered and shook his head. "I-I miss you so much..." He whispered, tears flooding his freckled cheeks. "I-I need you...h-he's g-gonna hurt me..." he said softly, his voice shaking. "He's gonna h-hurt her...our baby...he's gonna k-kill her, Shiro!" He cried. There was a moment that Lance didn't speak, just cried softly. Then, "The twins… A-Are the twins okay? Are they safe?" He asked weakly, hoping that Lotor would allow him to speak for a few minutes before forcing him to threaten the love of his life into giving up the twins. "I miss them too...so much..." he whispered. "gods..." he choked, the pain in his chest was eating away at him. He missed Shiro and his babies so fucking much.

 

Shiro's lips quivered as he listened to Lance, and he couldn't stop pacing, trying to figure out what to do. "Lance, just...just hang on, he won't touch you, I..." He didn't know. He didn't know what to do, but he couldn't let Lotor touch Lance or the baby...shit, Lance sounded so scared, and that in turn made Shiro's chest throb in pain and anxiety. "They're okay, Lance, they'll be okay, I promise, I'll come for you!" He knew he couldn't ask where Lance was, he couldn't make Lance put himself at risk since he knew Lotor was right there with him. "I swear to god I'll find you, do whatever it takes to stay safe and I'll find you, I promise!"   
  
Lotor's eyes narrowed, slightly irritated by the omega announcing he was going to kill the child. He wanted to be the one to say it to that other man, but as long as the graveness of the situation was delivered, he supposed it was fine. He sat down on the bed, reaching for the knife in his pocket and letting it glint in front of Lance, eyes flickering to his round stomach.

 

"You know that I can't stay safe, Shiro..." Lance whispered, shivering a little bit and glancing to Lotor. His eyes widened when he saw the knife. He tightened his arm around his stomach protectively, "Oh gods..." he whispered, barely audible. He shook his head as he trembled harder. In that moment, he had to choose. He had to choose between the safety and happiness of Shiro and the twins, and the life of his unborn daughter. He let out a panicked sob as he wasn't able to decide. The love he had for both options was so overwhelming that the poor thing just couldn't choose one over the other. So, he tried to stall more. "H-How are you doing, mi amor?" He asked softly, his voice shaky. "I t-trust that you've been taking c-care of yourself during the last few days...despite my absence.." he didn't really know what to say without making Lotor upset. He knew that calling Shiro that Spanish pet name would set Lotor off. He knew what that meant, everyone knew what that meant. "Mi amor" meant "my love." And he was pretty sure that Lotor wouldn't appreciate that, but in the moment he didn't care. He just needed to speak with Shiro, especially if it was going to be the last time.

 

Lotor's eyes narrowed, each word in their conversation fueling his anger more and more. He wanted to destroy this omega so badly, but maybe even more than that, he wanted to destroy that other man, to teach him what happened when you tried to take what belonged to Lotor. He was out of patience; he drove the knife forward against Lance's stomach, hitting him with the handle. The blade would obviously kill, and that wasn't Lotor's aim. He then grabbed the phone from the pained Lance and set it to speaker, nostrils flaring. "Time's up; I'll do it myself." His knuckles struck Lance's stomach again. "Do you hear that? His cries? I promise I won't hurt the baby anymore, if you hand over the children!"   
  
Shiro's eyes widened as things took a turn in a matter of seconds, and he found his grip on his phone tightening into a death grip. "Lotor! Keep your hands off of him!" He growled, heart quickening when he heard Lance cry out from the other end of the line.

 

Lance yelped loudly when he was hit and gasped for air. He screamed when Lotor took the phone away from him, opening his mouth again to plead for him to give it back. "N-No!" He cried out, grunting and coughing as he was hit once again. He fell to his side on the bed, his knees to his chest- or rather, to his belly- as his arms wrapped protectively around his slightly rounded tummy. "Shiro!" He sobbed. "D-Don't listen to h-him he's-he's l-lying!" He gasped out between pained breaths. In that moment, Lance had unconsciously chosen who he was going to save. Shiro and the twins deserved to live a good and happy life, and though so did his daughter, he decided that the situation called for this. He knew that she wouldn't get a chance to live, but that wouldn't stop him from trying his hardest to keep her safe. And he planned to go down with her. "Shiro!" He sobbed. He was afraid, he was terrified, but he knew that he had to do this. "Shiro d-don't you dare b-bring my babies here!" He gasped, "keep them safe!" He pleaded, squeezing his eyes shut and tilting his head down. "It's okay, baby...papa's here..." he whimpered quietly, speaking to his poor little girl who's fate he'd just sealed. "Papa's so sorry...I'm so sorry...I will protect you, I promise...I will..." He whispered, curling up tightly to shield himself and his baby from Lotor's cruel blows.

 

Lotor's eyes burned with rage as he struck Lance across the face for going against the agreement. Sure, Lotor was never going to do what he promised, but that didn't give the omega the right to go against him. "Do you hear that? Do you hear him crying? His stomach must be in pain; you can make it stop. Hand over the children and he won't hurt anymore." He yanked Lance's hair and threw him onto the ground so he could ram his heel into Lance's chest; dangerously close to his stomach.   
  
"Stop!" Shiro roared, eyes wide and hysterical. "Stop, don't touch him or the baby!" Shiro knew threats wouldn't work, he understood that Lotor was a psychopath and had the upper hand right now. Shiro had no intention of handing the twins over to such a maniacal man, but he had to protect Lance. "Don't hit him, please, let's talk about this...you want the children...?" He was shaking as he heard Lance's crying from the other end.

 

Lance screamed in pain as he was thrown to the ground and practically stomped on. He sobbed out words that neither Lotor nor Shiro could understand as he tried to curl himself around his stomach, trying his hardest to protect his little girl. His eyes widened when he heard Shiro's words and he froze. No...Shiro wouldn't give the twins away...he would never...he shook his head, tears falling rapidly from his big blue eyes. "No..." he whispered, waiting for another word from either of them. He prayed to whatever god was above that Shiro would not give up the twins. He would never... Lance knew that he would never do such a thing, but in that moment, he had his doubts.

 

Lotor stopped briefly, but he continued holding Lance up by his hair. He could hear the fear in the other man's voice, and god if it wasn't the most satisfying thing for his ears. It was even more satisfying than hearing his omega cry. That was something Lotor feasted on for many years, but this man, who had broken into his home, rose his hand to Lotor's face, and fled with his property, be kneeling down in fear of what Lotor could do, was the most empowering thing at the moment. "Yes, that's right. The children. Are you willing to comply? For the omega's sake?" He yanked the hair in his hand harder for a reaction.   
  
Shiro pursed his lips together. There was no world where he would readily hand the twins over to that monster; he refused to accept any outcome other than one where his entire family made it out safely...he could do this. "How are we doing this? What do I need to do?"

 

Lance gasped and whimpered as his hair was pulled again. He let out a broken sob, trembling hard. "No..Shiro..." he whined between his cries. His blue eyes opening wide in terror and surprise when Shiro implied that he was actually going to hand over the twins. "No!" He sobbed, grabbing Lotor's wrist, "Shiro! D-Don't you d-dare!" He growled hysterically. It wasn't a threatening growl, more like a panicked, hysterical one. "H-He's lying! H-He's going to h-hurt me either way!" He cried, "Don't come here!" He cried, trying his best to stall the plans that Lotor would begin to make with Shiro. He didn't want this to happen. What was Shiro doing?! He trusted him with all of his heart, and somewhere inside he knew that Shiro would never give up the kids like this. But...he didn't understand the situation, and he wasn't thinking straight at the moment anyway, the anxiety, pain and trauma clouding his mind at all times.

 

Lotor shook Lance by his hair angrily and irritatedly, staring at the phone. He wasn't stupid; there was no way the other man would do this. Lotor didn't trust him for a second. "Willing to comply, are you? Very well. You shall receive coordinates to bring the children to. Come alone. My henchmen will take the children. Then, I can promise that no more harm will come to the omega. I'll even allow it to call you after a while to assure you that it's safe."   
  
Obviously, Shiro knew everything coming out of Lotor's mouth was bullshit. "Alright. Just...no more hurting Lance. Now that we have a deal, you don't hurt Lance anymore. Lance is safe now." All he had to do was buy them some more time. He knew Lotor didn't believe him, but the least he could do was grant Lance a few more hours of safety, and hopefully they could find him within that time. It was a mind game; neither of them trusted the other and they both knew the other one was planning something.

 

Lance whimpered and sobbed quietly in the background of the call, he couldn't do much more than listen. He didn't know what to think. He just wanted Shiro and his twins to stay safe. His eyes squeezed shut as he tried to block out the splitting headache he had from Lotor's hand gripping him so hard and shaking him around. "Shiro..." he whispered in a little whine. Though he had chosen to try to keep Shiro and the twins away from this place, Lance wanted nothing more than to be in Shiro's arms, have his kids cuddle up to them happily. He wanted to be safe with them again. He missed them so much   
…

Meanwhile, Matt had been staying with Shiro as emotional support and to help out with the kids as much as he could. Pidge was at home, as she didn't really want to sleep on the couch in Shiro's living room. Matt was laying in the living room, awake, when he heard Shiro talking. He could have sworn the kids were asleep. He opened the door to Shiro's bedroom and frowned at him as they locked eyes. They didn't say anything, and he made sure that he didn't make noise to reveal his presence to whoever was on the phone, just in case.    
  
Shiro gulped when he saw Matt. Honestly, in his rage and fear, he had forgotten about everything other than Lance the moment Lotor had called, but now that he saw the older Holt, his mind began racing, because these two all along had been the ones he was relying on most, even more than the police, to help him find Lance. He mouthed the word 'Lotor' to Matt and began walking towards him, conversing through his eyes to ask if Pidge could do something. Meanwhile, he kept Lotor busy, heart racing. "That's not all, though. I know how sick you are, Lotor...not hurting Lance doesn't mean you can hurt the baby. The baby is a part of Lance. So...no hurting the baby either, because now we have our arrangement. Is that agreeable? And how will I get the coordinates?"   
  
Lotor scoffed at that, eyeing the omega's stomach. He wouldn't kill the baby, since, if he did, the deal might be off, and Lotor needed his children. He needed them first, and then after that, he would go after that other man. Since he planned to go after him, of course, that meant Lotor had no interest in keeping any of his other promises. Of course he would continue to hurt Lance after the deal. He still very much intended to kill the baby that belonged to his traitorous omega. But that would wait until after the deal. "Very well. No harm shall come to them." Except for his omega, but he left that part out.

 

Lance suddenly felt very sick. His life was falling apart right before his very eyes and it was all happening so fast. Too fast. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks as he stared ahead, his arms wrapped around his stomach in an attempt to protect his baby from any future harm. He knew just as well as Shiro and Lotor, maybe even better, that Lotor would not keep that promise he just made. He would never pass up a good reason to beat Lance senseless, and the second Lance stepped outside of that dreaded house the very first time, his baby's fate was sealed. He just stayed quiet, trembling and crying as he destroyed himself mentally, yelling at himself about how he should never have left in the first place. At the very least he shouldn't have allowed himself to get kidnapped. He should never have separated from Shiro like that. Now that he did all of those things though, his whole family is going to be hurt. He let out a weak sob and began to whisper quiet apologies over and over, tightening his arms around his tummy. "This is all my fault..." he whispered to himself. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."   
  
Matt nodded silently at Shiro and quickly left the room, grabbing his phone and calling Pidge, "We need you here right now. Bring your stuff, Lotor called Shiro and they're talking. You can track the call right?" He spoke lowly to make sure there was no possible way he could be heard by Lotor.

 

Shiro gulped, knowing he had to keep Lotor on the phone a while longer. Lotor was a psychopath; he relished in the pain of others, and he wouldn't pass up the chance to feel in control of Shiro and Lance. "T-tell me..." Shiro faked a stutter, because all he wanted to do right now was ram his metallic elbow into Lotor's lower jaw. He wasn't afraid; he was furious. "Why...? Why are you doing this? I don't understand..."   
  
A grin spread across Lotor's face, and he licked his lips, relishing in the defeat in that man's voice. He cast Lance a triumphant look. "Why, you ask? Isn't it simple? I am this omega's alpha, is there really any other explanation needed than that? You are a weak alpha, proven by your inability to tame an omega of your own. This one knows its place." Lotor crouched down to cup Lance's chin in his hand, stroking his cheek with his thumb. "This omega knows who its owner is."

 

Lance paled when Lotor crouched down to his level, his breath hitching in his throat. The more he stared into the eyes of the evil alpha, the harder it got to breathe. Before he knew it, he was having a panic attack. Those eyes of Lotor's...they made everything feel so real and terrifying. They made Lance want to disappear and hide. Tears streamed down his cheeks again as he pulled away, shaking his head. His eyes were wide as his struggle to breathe became louder and more desperate. At this point, he was hyperventilating. He let out a panicked sob and tried to move away from Lotor while still keeping his arms around his stomach. He knew that this was a terrible idea, but he couldn't help it, he was panicking.

 

Shiro's eyes narrowed, completely and utterly disgusted by everything he was hearing right now. "I can't believe you..." He gritted his teeth, and all he could imagine was Lance's eyes, wide with terror as he shivered in Lotor's shadow. "What makes you think you can own another person?! Explain it to me!" He let his rage slip into his voice, seething.   
  
Lotor rose an eyebrow in amusement, tightening his grip on Lance's chin. "What makes me think that, you ask? It's the rule of the world we live in. Look around yourself, Mr. Shirogane; there are those born with power, and then there are those born without it. That is the difference between an alpha and an omega." His hand trailed down Lance's side to grope his ass, because it belonged to him. "There is nothing that makes me 'think' anything; it's simply a way of life. You know that too, don't you, my naughty omega?" He squeezed Lance's ass more. "When you go into heat, you're always ready to spread your legs for me."

 

Lance whimpered softly when Lotor tightened his grip on him, but he hadn't prepared himself for what the alpha did next as he spoke in such a disgustingly smug tone. Lance squeaked when Lotor grabbed his ass, he squeezed his eyes shut tightly and tried to breathe, though it was hard. His eyes were still overflowing with tears when he spoke, saying the phrase that he had been forced to say for years, the one that made him sick to his stomach. The crave death, the one that, in that moment, revealed how terrified and broken Lance was, to Shiro, who couldn't see him, only hear him. "Yes, alpha..." he whimpered, his voice shaky and weak.    
  
Meanwhile, Pidge had made it to the house, and immediately let herself in. And conversed with Matt quietly as she set up her laptop on the coffee table. She connected to the Wi-Fi and immediately began to set up her tracking software.    
  
Shiro growled in feral rage as he heard Lotor give a chuckle from the other end accompanied by Lance's voice. He knew none of this was Lance's fault, and hearing him say that one word that he hadn't said ever since being with Shiro, 'alpha', made Shiro's blood boil. Pidge gave him a pointed glare though that told him to keep his emotions in check as he sat down next to her, and she connected her USB cord to Shiro's phone, letting her laptop load her equipment as she connected to his call. Shiro narrowed his eyes. He just had to keep Lotor on the line. "So you're just another product of society, is that it? You sicken me..."   
  
Lotor clicked his tongue, finding the teacher's anger towards him entertaining more than anything else. It would make it all the sweeter when he double crossed him and took him out. "You're the one who sickens me. My omega has been in your hands for the last few months; you haven't even been taking proper care of it, have you?" His hands began snaking into Lance's pants to grope his naked ass. "I wonder what you would even do if the omega had gone into heat while with you. Would you have been able to treat it correctly? Of course not. Only I can give my omega proper relief from omega heat. You're lucky heat doesn't come in while the omega is pregnant. You're a sorry excuse of an alpha."

 

Lance took a shaky breath and bit down hard on his lip to keep in the desperate cries that wanted to slip. He hated the feeling of Lotor touching him this way, he couldn't help but squirm a little bit, trying to get Lotor to let go of him. "P-Please..." he whispered, tears dripping from his chin to his arms. He didn't want to be touched like this. Not by Lotor. "Shiro..." he whimpered as he squirmed more, trying harder to get out of Lotor's grip.    
  
Matt was pacing around a little bit as he listened carefully to the conversation. He could only hear Shiro's side, but he knew that that sick bastard had Lance right there with him as he spoke to Shiro. Matt was worried, he could see the fury in Shiro's eyes. That man knew that it would torture Shiro to hear Lance scared or in pain and Matt suspected that's exactly what's happening. He let his eyes fall on his little sister, "Anything?" He whispered.

 

Lotor growled, growing impossibly impatient with the omega continuing to say that name. He would beat the omega so hard it wouldn't remember how to even speak, he would choke it until it could only follow Lotor's orders and nothing more. After he had the other children, of course. It was difficult to hold in his desire to beat his omega back into submission, but this would have to do. "Well, it has been a pleasure. However, I tire of this meaningless conversation."   
  
"Wait!" Shiro shouted, swallowing hard and side eyeing Pidge, who nodded. She just about had something. "...I know." Shiro started, trying to keep the conversation going. "I know what you did to all the children." He was shaking just remembering that conversation, vision going red. "Is that due to your alpha status, too? That it allows you to believe you can do such a thing?"

 

Lance's eyes shot open wider and he suddenly forgot how to breathe. Oh god...Shiro had just told Lotor that Lance had told him about the miscarriages. This was bad. Really bad. Throughout all of the time he had been forced to spend with Lotor, it was made very clear that there were secrets Lance wasn't to tell anyone. One of them being this. Though he knew that Lotor would easily be able to turn it around and blame Lance for the miscarriages, he knew that he would not be happy in the slightest. His eyes snapped to Lotor's and he immediately started to shake his head. He couldn't speak, he didn't know what to say. He was terrified beyond belief, he didn't know what to do, he continued to shake his head and cry as he held his arms tightly across his stomach.

 

Lotor's eyes were narrowed as he stared from the phone then to Lance, hand clenching into a fist with a sigh. "I see. You think you have information about our relationship; unfortunately, you have only one side of the story. The omega must've tried to play victim, which is good to know." He advanced on the omega more, whispering into his ear away from the phone. "God, you don't even know how much pain you're in for. I can't wait for us to have fun."   
  
Shiro had a hand clutched to his chest, hoping to slow his pounding heart as Pidge glanced at him and nodded. She was finished tracking the call. "I don't know what you're talking about...but just know that you are a sick man... reconciliation will be upon you, I'm sure of it. I'll await the coordinates." Shiro had no qualms with lying; not to Lotor.

 

Lance made a muffled squeaking noise as he shook his head and tried to lean away from Lotor, letting out another petrified sob. He was going to die, it was really going to happen. After all that he's been through up to this point, he had nearly died multiple times, but each time he was spared. This time though, Lance was sure he'd run out of second chances. He wasn't sure if Shiro had hung up or not, and it terrified him. He didn't want to be left alone with this psychopath with murder in his eyes. He trembled violently, breathing slowly and quietly, staring straight ahead with fear in his eyes as he waited for something, anything to indicate that Shiro was still on the phone.    
  
Matt was ecstatic that Pidge had managed to track the phone call so quickly. He jumped up and whispered something to her quietly, still minding the call. "I'm gonna go call the police station." He whispered before walking swiftly into the kitchen. He hoped to god that this was it. He hoped that they would find Lance and that he and the baby would be alright. He was worried about Shiro and Lance both. Lance needed Shiro, Matt could tell even before all of this happened. And Lance was so good for Shiro. Matt really believed that they were meant for each other. Now, he just wanted to help his best friend find his boyfriend again.

 

Lotor took joy in hearing the other man's anger accompanied by the omega's pitiful whimpers. Both noises fed his need for vengeance, and he couldn't wait to see that failure of an alpha in person again, to be towering over him and putting him in his place. Lotor could still feel the fist against his face...and he just let it fuel his rage towards both of them as he began stroking Lance's stomach. "Very well. I look forward to reuniting with my children~"   
  
Shiro nodded at Matt with a smile before narrowing his eyes in disgust at Lotor's tone of voice, wanting nothing more than to give him another punch, one that would leave a lasting mark on the psychopath. Lotor was the one who hung up, before Shiro could get a chance to say anything to Lance, and he felt his heart tighten at that, but it was okay...it would be okay. Pidge looked over at him to assure him of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. Am. Exhausted.

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for any typos that I missed.


End file.
